A Samurai's Honor
by AnimeNugget
Summary: There is a group of people who live in a far away land: a group who exist in the world of shinobi yet are extraordinarily different. They are the samurai. And when a young samurai girl is sent to Konoha for reasons that become more and more unclear, a lot of dirt from the past will threaten to destroy the future. Everyone's future. [Itachi x OC]
1. Entering A New World

"Did you hear? Someone from the Land of Iron is coming to Konoha, and I hear they're a samurai!"

"Really? I almost forgot that samurai were still around. And why would they be coming here?"

"I think I heard that it's part of a deal. Maybe they need our help fighting off an enemy?"

"Makes sense, their numbers are so small, I don't think I've ever even seen a samurai!"

"Well I'm sure it'll be interesting. Oh and apparently they're sending a kid. Isn't that a little insulting? Couldn't they give us a general or something? At least someone important."

"You never know; it could be the kid of a commander or an aristocrat. I doubt we'd make a deal with them if we didn't think it was a fair trade."

"Hmm, you're probably right. We'll just have to see how things go."

* * *

"The samurai representative will arrive today, yes?" Sarutobi asked, blowing out a puff of smoke.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I have already prepared the welcoming ceremony; everyone you have requested will be present." A masked man stated as he kneeled in front of the large wooden desk.

"Perfect. Please notify the rest of the anbu to help keep spectators at a distance. I can already tell there's going to be a crowd." The older man sighed and set down his pipe. He glanced out the window behind him.

"Of course, Hokage-sama. The guest will be sent to the designated living location after briefing." The anbu, head still bowed, said calmly.

"Good, good. You're dismissed." Sarutobi waved a hand and the man disappeared.

* * *

A crowd had gathered around the village gate, the one where the samurai 'diplomat' would be arriving in just a few moments. A wall of fully equipped anbu were the only thing separating the excited citizens from the anxious reception counsel.

"Who do you think it'll be?"

"I hope it's someone important!"

"I think it'll be one of their best samurai!"

"I bet they'll be coming with a dozen bodyguards behind them!"

"Is what they say about samurai true? Are the really that fast?"

"Do you think we'll get to see a battle or something?"

 _ **Thud**_

The noise immediately silenced the nervous chatter, causing everyone turned towards the opening gate. It seemed to move in slow motion as the people craned their necks to try to get a look at who this mysterious foreigner was. Stepping through the enormous gates, the person's features where revealed at last.

Brown hair.

Brown eyes.

Dirtied yukata.

And most importantly,

A child.

"So they really did send us a kid."

"Are you sure that's even the right person? Just seems like a lost brat to me."

"Doesn't really look like a samurai, does she..."

"Honestly, did we agree to exchange military support for this kid?!"

The reactions among the citizens ranged from puzzled to furious, and those among the designated receiving party were no better.

"Who is this street rat?"

"How dare the Land of Iron show such disrespect!"

"...is this the right person?"

The girl, no older that fourteen, seemed unfazed at the whispering among the spectators. She took a step forward and faced the one who seemed to be the leader of the adults in front of her.

"My name is Shiromori Mutsuko, devoted samurai of the Land of Iron. I have been chosen by both your leader and mine to come to this great village of Konohagakure. It's an honor to meet you." She bowed respectfully. The man, who had quickly regained his composure, promptly returned the motion.

"We welcome you to our village, Shiromori-san. I have no doubt you will find it to be quite different from your home, but rest assured it will meet your expectations. Please, follow me. We have already prepared a residence for you." He turned and nodded to the people with him, they immediately formed a circle around the girl and, with the help of the anbu guards, effectively created a barrier between her and the rowdy citizens.

As the group approached a large apartment complex near the heart of the village, the man from before spoke up again.

"For the duration of your stay in Konoha, you will be living here. It is very close to the Conference Halls and Hokage Tower so access to those will not be an issue." He explained.

"I didn't think I would be staying in an apartment. I've never had one before." Mutsuko thought aloud, gazing up at the towering building. The man looked back at her.

"My apologies for not being clear enough, you will be staying in that building over there." He pointed at a shiny black building a distance behind the apartments. "That is the residence used to house foreign leaders who come to Konoha, we could not allow a diplomat of your great country to live in just any home." He stated. Mutsuko blinked and sighed internally.

 _'But the other one's taller...'_

The group stopped when they reached the base of the slick black building. It seemed to be at least five stories high and was in pristine condition, much like the other buildings in the village.

"We have arrived. Solai, please show Shiromori-san to her room." A woman from inside the building opened the door and nodded for Mutsuko to follow her. Before she stepped into the building, the man spoke once more. "Tomorrow we will explain your schedule and training regimen. Please enjoy the rest of your day." And with that, the seven men disappeared to who knows where.

"Shiromori-san." The woman named Solai gestured for her to come. The two walked down the hall and up three flights of stairs, eventually arriving in front of an average looking black metal door. "This will be your temporary residence and here are the keys you will need. Please notify any of the staff if there is any problem." She handed a keyring to Mutsuko and excused herself, quickly disappearing around the corner. Mutsuko blinked at the keys in her hand. There were only four in total. Taking the largest and most important looking one, she tried fitting it in the keyhole and twisted left.

 _Click_

She had some trouble pushing open the heavy door but managed to slip inside just before it closed on her.

Walking around the first room, it appeared to be a dining room connected with a lounge area. Next to that was a large, shiny kitchen along with a few chairs around a square, wooden table. After that, the only room remaining was the bedroom. It was larger than any she's ever seen before, it was almost as big as the dining room and had an attached bathroom that was still bigger than her room back home.

Though everything was pristine and beautiful, Mutsuko couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable. A new home in a new village in a new country. Things were already so different. Besides, she didn't really feel safe without her weapons and armor, but they wouldn't be getting here any time soon.

 _'Couldn't someone else have come?'_ She sighed. She didn't want to let her skills go rusty because of this task she'd been forced into. _'What do they mean by 'training' anyways? Are they going to try and teach me their techniques? I swear if old man Mifune agreed to that...'_ She frowned and let out a sigh. _'At least they'll be sending letters. I've got a lot to say to him.'_ She huffed. Just then, a lloud growl from her stomach alerted her to a more pressing problem.

"Good thing I remembered to bring money, now to find a place to exchange it for Konoha's currency..."

After cleaning herself up as much as possible, Mutsuko was able to exchange some mon, the currency of her home country, for ryo, the currency of Konoha. The abnormal shape of the coins intrigued her. What an odd thing.

"Hey!" A voice called from behind her. "Hey! You're that girl from the Land of Iron right? Go back to your country! We don't want a samurai here!" It was a boy who seemed to be around her age. He wore a gray jacket and had red streaks on both sides of his face. A small dog stood by his side.

"Kiba! Don't say that, it's not nice!" A blue haired girl ran up to him and tugged at his sleeve.

"Hinata, you can't say that it's safe for a samurai kid to be in a shinobi village, right? We don't know who she is!" The boy exclaimed.

"Kiba. Shut it." Another boy approached the two, he wore dark glasses and the lower half of his face was obscured by his wide collar. He glanced at Mutsuko before pulling his friend away.

"Hey! Let me go!"

Mutsuko blinked, puzzled at what she had heard.

 _'What a strange place... what strange people... I should probably get some food now.'_

* * *

"Why does it have to be so heavy?" Mutsuko wheezed, awkwardly plopping the overflowing bags onto the kitchen floor. A series of loud thumps were heard as she narrowly avoided a foot injury. Some people say carrying four bags of groceries at once is bad for your shoulders, Mutsuko says two trips is for quitters. "Well this is gonna take all night to organize..." She frowned at the intimidatingly full bags. "Alright! Let's get to it." After opening every single cabinet in the kitchen, she began the long arduous process of trying to organize everything: bags of bread squished together on the countertop, cartons of milk laying in the fridge, ramen cups stuffed in the cabinet under the sink. She tried to make things neat for the first hour but soon realized that was taking far too long, eventually settling for tossing whatever she could into whichever cabinet still had space. In the end, cardboard boxes lay limply on the wooden table and plastic wrap littered one corner of the kitchen.

"I think I did pretty well." Mutsuko dusted off her hands and stared proudly at the empty plastic bags on the floor. She turned to glance at the clock on the far wall: 7:00 PM. "It's pretty early, should I go for a walk? I haven't seen much of the village yet." She nodded to herself and grabbed a large black jacket: one of the only things she'd brought from home. Slipping it on, she stepped out the door and jumped over the railing, safely landing on the cobblestone road below. She looked to her left and right, eventually deciding to go left, and began walking.

'The evening here is so different. It would've been dark by now back home.' The soft orange light of the sun provided just the smallest bit of warmth, just enough to balance out the chill of the wind blowing by. Paying no mind to where sure was going, Mutsuko decided to follow wherever her feet took her. 'I wonder what kind of training I'll be getting here. How's that going to go anyways? There's no way we have the same training techniques and they couldn't possibly know anything about samurai discipline.' 'Why did I get the oh-so-high honor of having to live in a ninja village? The Senate really should have chosen an adult to come here, wouldn't that make more sense?' 'Oh, aren't I supposed to meet the village leader at some point? I think Okisuke-san mentioned something about that. Hm... what's the name again? Ho-ka-ge? A little cheesy if you ask me...'

"Excuse me." A sudden voice startled her and she whipped around to face the stranger. It was a boy, maybe a few years older than her. He had dark raven hair tied back in a ponytail and looked like the dictionary definition of a shinobi: a thick, protective gray vest, a shiny forehead protector, and a small bag strapped to his leg which, based on the books she'd read on ninja equipment, more than likely contained various weapons and supplies. Under his vest he wore a dull blue shirt with a wide, raised collar and on his back was a sword: the first thing she'd noticed when looking at him. "Excuse me." The boy repeated, snapping her out of her trance, "This is a private courtyard, you can't be here." Mutsuko blinked, it took her a second to fully realize what he had just said.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to trespass!" She lowered her head and bowed profusely. "I'm really sorry, I'll leave now!" She bowed once more and hastily began to walk away. It only took a few steps before she realized... "Oh, um, which way are the Conference Halls?" She asked sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. The boy didn't seem too surprised at the question. He pointed to a cylindrical building in the distance.

"Head in that direction. You'll see the Halls when you reach that building." Mutsuko nodded and grinned apologetically.

"Ok, I'll be going now, thanks for your help!" She waved as she began running towards the small cylindrical tower. "And sorry for bothering you!"

Following the boy's directions, Mutsuko quickly reached the brick tower and immediately spotted the Conference Halls as well as the shiny black building where she now lived. 'Note to self: pay attention when inside an unfamiliar city.' She reached the base of her building and climbed the stairs to her room.

"Uf!" She plopped down on the bed and let out a sigh. ' _What a day... at least I get an actual bed. Feels nice after sleeping on the forest floor for a month.'_ She laid there for another minute before pushing herself up and quickly changing into a simple gray shirt that fell just above her knees. Folding her old clothes, she placed them on the leather spinning chair next to her. Mutsuko jumped into bed, rolled over and flipped the sheets over her head. A loud sigh filled the silent room as she melted into the softness of the covers. She tightened the black strap on her stomach, making sure the small blade was firmly in its sheath, then flicked the lights off, plunging her world into a pit of darkness.

* * *

 **Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! What do you think of Mutsuko's character so far? What do you think will happen next? Please leave your thoughts in a review and be on the lookout for the next chapter!**


	2. New People

_Knock knock knock_

Mutsuko groaned at the sound and rolled onto her side, pulling the covers over her ears.

 _Knock knock knock_

She peeked over at the door, squinting at the sunlight that was streamed through the window. She sloppily slid out of bed and pattered over to the door, flinging it open.

"What?" She shot tiredly

"Shiromori-san, your training will begin precisely at seven. I will bring you to our Hokage, please follow me." A masked man stood at her door, wearing a sort of uniform. Probably a shinobi thing.

"...one minute..." She said as she shut the door _. 'Guess I won't be sleeping in...'_ She thought, getting changed into her clothes from the day before. She quickly patted her left hip and checked the strap before opening the door once again to face mystery shinobi. "Ok, let's go."

A minute later, she was sitting in an oversized arm chair across from unfamiliar old man.

"How are you liking Konoha?" The gruff voice asked with an unexpected warmness.

"It's... nice." She answered briefly. As if she'd been here long enough to know.

"Good, good. I'm glad you're adjusting well. Now, as an ambassador for your nation, you will be learning about our village and its shinobi. Your first stop is the academy, you'll attend a lecture that will be held by some high ranking shinobi from our village. I'm sure you will find it quite interesting. This anbu here will make sure you get there safely." She didn't need to glance behind her to know that the man from earlier was standing there. The old Hokage smiled. "That's all I have for you today, I hope you enjoy your first day in Konoha." He gestured towards the other man who stepped forward.

"Shiromori-san, please follow me." Mutsuko stood and turned to follow the anbu. She glanced back at the Hokage who nodded encouragingly and waved for her to go. "This way please." He instructed. She turned again and the two exited the tower.

Going in a direction unknown to her, they walked for a little while before she identified the academy building. As they drew closer, she marveled at how large it was. How many students went here? Whatever the number was, she was sure that it was many times greater than it would be in the Land of Iron. There were fewer people there and with fewer people came fewer children. Actually, the number of kids was small enough that there never needed to be an academy; samurai children learned the skills they needed from either a parent or a hired master. Evidently that wasn't how things worked here.

The anbu lead her down a series of mostly empty hallways and came to a stop in front of one of the classroom doors. He pushed it open slightly and nodded at someone inside. A second later, an older man with bandages over his right eye emerged from behind the door. He eyed Mutsuko carefully, as if sizing her up. It was rather uncomfortable, honestly.

"This is the class you will be attending today, taught by Danzo-sama. Please excuse me." The anbu bowed to the one named Danzo and promptly disappeared.

"Come in." He said, sounding as if he was forcing himself to speak to her. She followed hesitantly as he entered the classroom. "Take a seat. The class will now begin." She shuffled to the back of the lecture hall and found a seat at the very top that overlooked the room.

"Today," Danzo's voice boomed, silencing the chatter of the students, "We will be analyzing the range of potential abilities that chakra users may utilize. But first, may I introduce you all to our guest for the day: Shiromori Mutsuko." He raised an arm towards her and everyone turned around. The said girl shifted awkwardly in her seat. "She is a young samurai from the Land of Iron and will be attending our class today. I expect you to welcome her with the upmost respect." Mutsuko fidgeted with her hands as she forced a small smile and nodded at everyone. Confused stares were exchanged between the students as they glanced back at her. "Now let's begin the lesson. In order to understand the capabilities of chakra, we must know this history of it. Long ago, there was a woman who ate the chakra fruit from the divine tree..."

 _'Make it stop...'_ It took every ounce of self-control Mutsuko had to keep from ripping her ears off.

It had been three hours.

Three.

Hours.

Of.

This.

Which bitter administrator decided that these children needed to listen to this insipid man and his baritone for that long? Certainly this was in violation of some sort of ethics code, right? And she wasn't the only one who found the lecture bland, numerous other students looked to be in physical pain: hands on their foreheads and clutching their pens much too hard.

Mutsuko had just begun to devise ways to escape when she heard the words of salvation,

"That concludes today's lesson. You are dismissed."

Her head snapped up and she leapt from her seat. She made a frantic beeline for the door with the other students and managed to slip out near the front of the herd.

"Shiromori-san." A voice called from somewhere to the right. She turned and spotted the same uniform clad man from earlier approaching.

"Can I not come here again?" She asked, relieved to see him. At least she wouldn't get lost trying to leave the building.

"Unfortunately, I am not in charge of such decisions." He stated, earning a huff of exasperation. "But I will mention your dislike to the Hokage. He may change your schedule." He finished flatly. Mutsuko's expression immediately brightened and she broke into a grin.

"Please do!" She bowed dramatically, hands clasped together. The man seemed taken puzzled as it took him a second to respond.

"We need to get to your next class. Please come with me." He turned and started towards an unknown destination.

"Yes sir!" Mutsuko followed eagerly, hopeful that wherever they were headed was better than that lecture.

It was.

Well, a little.

"Good morning, Shiromori-san, you will be joining my class today." A young man with a scar across his nose greeted. A dozen other children stood in the small field behind him. "Of course, this training is for shinobi but I'm sure you'll be able to benefit as well. Class!" He shouted, effectively silencing the students. For the second time today, she felt all too many eyes on her. She was fine with attention, just not this much. "Please say hello to Shiromori Mutsuko, she will be joining our class for the rest of this semester."

Whispers and questioning glances were exchanged among the class as Mutsuko kept her eyes on the ground.

"Alright, we'll begin. Please line up as I call your name. Yuri! Stand here. Setsu! Over here. Naruto! Next to him. Ino!..." And the list of unfamiliar named went on. Soon it was her turn. "Mutsuko! Please stand here. Sasuke! To her right..." The sixteen students were quickly arranged in a four by four square, Mutsuko being the first person in the third row, and the lesson began.

"Many of you know me already, but my name is Iruka, you can call me Iruka-sensei. For our first class, we will be seeing how well each of you can control your chakra. Copy my hand signs." He formed a short chain of seals and a white puff of smoke appeared. Once it cleared, he was gone and a log stood in his place. Another puff of smoke and he was back again.

The class eagerly mirrored the seals and transformed into logs one by one. Soon, the students had disappeared and were replaced by variously shaped pieces of wood. Well, fourteen of them had anyways. There were two remaining students who had yet to adopt the ligneous cylindrical figure.

"Mutsuko, please try the jutsu." Iruka-sensei encouraged upon seeing her blank stare and confused blinking.

"...what... what was that thing you did with your hands?" She questioned uncertainly, eyebrows knit. There was a moment of silence before realization suddenly dawned on Iruka.

"Ah! I forgot you don't use hand seals. I'll give you a quick explanation. So there are twelve basic seals that are used to help shinobi direct chakra. There's the rat, bird, snake, dog, dragon, ram, monkey, tiger, horse, bird, ox, and hare." He demonstrated each one as he listed them. "Here, try to copy this sequence." He slowly repeated the seals of the transformation jutsu. Mutsuko watched his hands closely, trying her very best to replicate his motions. The moment her fingers formed the first seal, however, a pulse of chakra escaped her hands and slammed into a nearby tree. She flinched at the loud _boom_ that sounded upon contact.

Iruka stared wide-eyed the dented tree. Never in all his years of teaching had he seen that happen. He'd have to be more careful with her.

"L-Let's try again, this time try letting just a little bit of chakra into your hands." Mutsuko nodded hesitantly and concentrated all her strength into only letting small bits of chakra trickle to her fingers. She again attempted to copy his hand motions and, once she finished the last seal, a puff of gray smoke appeared and at the center of it sat a log. Though it was slightly shorter and thinner than the others, it was a success nonetheless.

"That was great! You learn fast!" He grinned enthusiastically. "Now, what seems to be the problem, Naruto" The blonde looked up from his intense concentration and sweat dropped.

"N-Nothing! I can do it, Iruka-sensei! Watch!" The boy snapped his attention back to his hands and carefully formed each seal, clearly using all the concentration he could muster. A puff of smoke appeared and quickly dissolved, revealing nothing but a single leaf on the ground. By now, everyone had returned to human form and was staring at the blonde's failed attempt at a transformation, a few snickers and mocking glances being exchanged among the students. The boy released the jutsu and frowned to himself, eyes glued to the ground and hands clenched into fists.

Mutsuko, after struggling to figure out how to undo the jutsu, puffed back into her normal self and glanced over at the poor boy who seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"H-How about we move onto some more jutsus?" Iruka-sensei quickly spoke up, apparently not wanting to further upset the boy. The class turned its attention back to their teacher and all but forgot the boy's embarrassment.

After another hour and a half of trying desperately to correctly execute the newly learned hand signs and keep up with the class, Mutsuko found little relief when Iruka-sensei said they would be moving on to taijutsu.

 _'Oh no, what's that? More hand seals?'_ She felt a headache coming on at the mere thought.

"Hey, what's taijutsu?" She whispered to the boy next to her. He had deep blue hair and wore a shirt of a similar shade that donned an unfamiliar symbol on the back. His bored black eyes only flicked to her briefly before turning back to the teacher.

"No chakra." He said flatly.

Mutsuko, although profoundly ticked at his high-and-mighty demeanor, was overwhelmingly relieved at the thought of not having to keep practicing those painfully complicated hand signs. Emphasis on painfully.

"Now, I know the academy teaches plenty of taijutsu so most of you have a strong sense of what it's all about. We'll have each of you spar with one of your classmates to see what you know and what you need to work on. For today, weapons are allowed." At this, the class bristled with excitement. Looks like they were glad to see some action. "The first pair will be Sasuke and Shikamaru. As I'm sure you know, both graduated at the top of the class and excel in hand-to-hand." Iruka-sensei said as two boys stood up and stepped forward. One of the selected boys was the dark haired one she had spoken to a moment earlier. Mutsuko's eyes focused on him as Iruka spoke again. "Begin in three, two, one!" He leapt back just before the blue haired boy charged. The other boy, who had a spikey black ponytail, easily dodged and landed a distance away. Wasting no time, the former again, this time disappearing before he was five feet from his opponent. The black haired one spun around to block a kick from behind and quickly delivered one of his own. Unsurprisingly, his leg was caught and flung to the side, causing him to land sloppily a few feet away. Quickly regaining his footing, he jumped just in time to dodge a small knife thrown his way. Their spar continued like this for a while longer, they were almost evenly matched but the blue haired one had been steadily gaining ground. Soon, he had pinned his opponent against a tree and pressed a blade to his neck.

"Stop!" Iruka called, landing behind the two and ending their battle. "You both did very well, I'm impressed!" He smiled as the two boys abandoned their battle stances.

The spar had lasted just over five minutes and Mutsuko wondered how the black haired one had graduated at the top of his class. His hand to hand abilities were nothing outstanding nor was his skill with weapons to be envied. Well, not in Mutsuko's eyes anyways. The blue haired boy, on the other hand, was quite interesting. His movements were sharp and pointed, as was his use of those small black blades. What she was most interested in, however, was the way they fought. Even though she didn't think the black haired boy was particularly skilled, she was thoroughly fascinated by how they moved. They were jumping and leaping all throughout the battle, even throwing punches and kicks at each other. Back in her country, Mutsuko had never seen such a style, it had what the older samurai would call "disregard for grace." She'd always been taught to keep her movements smooth and her steps fluid, and though she was accustomed to fight in such a manner, the style she had just witnessed was oddly intriguing.

"Next up are Sakura and Ino." Iruka's voice pulled Mutsuko out of her thoughts. She saw that a pink haired girl and a blonde haired girl had stood up and were ready to spar.

Through the next few rounds, Mutsuko was transfixed by their movements. They all seemed to have a similarly rough style of battle and it was something she had instantly taken a liking to. Maybe she could learn to move like that. These shinobi turned out to be a lot more interesting than she'd thought.

"Alright, our last pairing of the day will be Mutsuko and Naruto." Upon hearing her name, Mutsuko slowly stood up and stepped out in front of the class. The blonde boy who had been unable to transform earlier had also come forward and now stood across from her. He offered a friendly smile and she nodded politely in return. They took a step back from each other and prepared to fight. She focused on her chakra flow and lowered into a battle stance. "One, two, three, begin!" Iruka called and leapt back. The blonde boy, Naruto, immediately charged straight at her, aiming a punch at her stomach. In one movement, Mutsuko stepped forward, leaned to the side, caught his ankle with the side of her foot, and turned to watch as he stumbled and fell. Resolve clearly unaffected by the tumble, he jumped back up and charged again. Once he was close enough, Naruto drew a leg back and swung it at her shoulder only to see her duck under his leg, causing him to lose balance. He rolled a few feet before gathering himself enough to regain his posture. He stood up and pulled a few small blades from the pouch strapped on his leg. With a flick of the wrist he sent them flying towards Mutsuko at an impressive speed. She, however, seemed to predict the move and simply stepped to the side, swiftly catching one out of the air as it zipped by.

Glancing at the dark piece of metal in her hand, she was able to see the foreign weapon up close: a tall pyramidal blade with a thin handle wrapped with lighter colored cloth. Of course, she couldn't spend too much time examining the weapon during a battle. She glided out of the way as Naruto ran at her once again.

Now that she had a weapon, Mutsuko shifted to offense mode. She drew one leg back and brought the short blade into her right hand, holding it as she would her sword. With it positioned just above her left hip, she imagined that she was holding a sword. A very light, very small sword.

In the blink of an eye, Mutsuko had backed Naruto up against a tree and pointed the tip of her blade at his neck.

"Stop!" Iruka called, signaling the end of the match. Mutsuko took a step back, loosening her grip on the blade and relaxing her stance. She flipped the weapon around and held the handle out to Naruto who hesitantly took it. "Well done, both of you! I'm glad we all got a chance to see how a samurai fights! Thank you Mutsuko, it was very interesting." Iruka grinned and patted both of them on the back, sending them to sit down in their spots. "Alright class, that's all for today! I'll see you back here tomorrow, have a nice afternoon!"

After the class was dismissed, Mutsuko watched as the other children left as she waited patiently for her anbu guide who was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey! Your name's Mutsuko right?" A voice from behind her asked. It was the blonde boy she'd spared with.

"Yea, and you're Naruto?" She confirmed, receiving a nod from the boy.

"That's me! By the way, you're really strong! I've never seen anyone move so fast! It was super cool, one second you're there and then _whoosh_ you're right in front of me!" Naruto waved his hands wildly in the air.

"Oh, um, thanks." Mutsuko smiled slightly. "You were good too."

"Hehe, thanks!" He scratched the back of his head. "So what's it like in your country? What kinds of things do samurai do?" His eyes shimmering as he spoke.

"Well, in the Land of Iron it's a lot colder and there's almost always snow. We don't have big cities like Konoha either, just a small main village and a few towns around it. As for what samurai do, I'd think we're just about the same as you. We just have a different training process is all." She explained, glancing around for any sign of the anbu.

"How do you guys train?" He asked the instant she finished talking. She blinked at him incredulously, he seemed a little too excited to hear her response

"We don't have an academy or anything so kids usually just learn from their parents. Sometimes parents will hire tutors instead, though."

"Cool! Did you learn from your parents or did you have a sensei?"

"Well, my parents were killed sometime after I was born, but I was taken in by an older couple so I learned from them." Naruto's expression dampened at this.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up..." He apologized quickly. She shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, it's not like I remember them." She offered a small smile. "How old are you, Naruto?" She asked, changing the topic.

"Me? I'm twelve." He grinned, instantly back to being loud and bubbly. "You?"

"Fourteen..." She sighed. Why couldn't she be put in a class of kids her age? _'Sucks to be me.'_ She moped silently. Suddenly, she saw something from the corner of her eye that prompted her up turn her head.

It was a tall boy with straight black hair tied into a ponytail. He was waving at the blue haired kid in her class. For some reason, she could have sworn he looked familiar.

"Hey Naruto, who's that?" She questioned, gesturing at the taller boy.

"Oh, him? He's Sasuke's brother, Itachi. He's super cool." He stated as if that was all she needed to know about him. The blue haired one must be Sasuke. "Is something wrong?" He asked upon seeing her inquisitive stare. Mutsuko shook her head and turned away.

"Nothing. I just know someone who looks like him." She lied casually. Diverting her gaze to the tree line behind them, she suddenly spotted a familiar face, or rather, a familiar mask. "Oh! I have to go, see you around!" She hopped up and began jogging towards the trees before he could respond.

"I apologize for the delay, I hope I did not keep you waiting." The anbu apologized. Mutsuko smiled as they began walking towards the village.

"Not at all, I was able to make a new friend. So where are we going?" She asked, peering curiously at the eyes of the clay mask.

"It's about twelve thirty now so you may take a half hour break." He stated just as they entered the busy marketplace. "You may do whatever you please during this time but please be at the academy building by one o'clock." He nodded in the direction of the building which she had to tiptoe to catch a glimpse of. It wasn't very far from where they stood. "I will meet you there when break ends. Just call if you need anything." He said, only waiting to see her nod before disappearing.

Mutsuko glanced at the bustling midday crowd and sighed. _'Not hungry... Might as well wander around for a while.'_ She concluded, heading back towards the outskirts of the village.

It was so peaceful, so beautiful. The lively green trees danced in the breeze, waving to the grasses that moved along with them. The lush patches of open fields was a picture perfect scene to someone like Mutsuko who had grown up in the cold, barren Land of Iron. Of course, she loved her country but there was nothing quite like this back home. She could get used to this weather.

After ten minutes of aimless walking, the girl came across a pond. It was right on the edge of one of the smaller training fields and was about seventy feet across. She decided to sit for a while, plopping down next to the water and leaning in to see her reflection. On the surface of the blue-green water was a young girl with dull brown eyes, tangled hair, and a fair amount of dirt on her face. She wiped the dirt off and ran her fingers through her long brown locks. 'What a mess.' She thought. She looked down at her yukata and noticed it was even dustier than yesterday. 'I might have to get some new clothes soon.' Crossing her legs, she settled down on the warm grass and tossed her head back to stare at the sky. It really was a beautiful day; the sky was blue with scattered white clouds floating under it, the sun was warm and beaming, why couldn't it be this nice all the time? She returned her gaze to the lake's surface and stared blankly for a few moments. Unconsciously sending a tiny ball of chakra into the lake, she watched as it wiggled through the water and jumped to the surface before vanishing. She grinned. For some reason, she found it amusing. She sent another marble of chakra through the water and it did the same as the first, this time jumping in and out twice before disappearing. A light giggle escaped her lips as she released three at the same time, they spun and chased each other around as if they were dancing. She dipped both her hands into the water and scooped up a handful. Excess liquid cascaded down the sides of her hands, leaving only the water caught between them. Without thinking, Mutsuko pushed some chakra through her palms and into the clear pond water, she dropped her hands and the chakra infused liquid was now a blob floating in the air. With just a thought, it morphed it into a tiny samurai, fully equipped with water armor and swords. Deciding that her new creation needed a friend, she touched the pond's surface and transferred another small portion of chakra to it. She pulled it out and suspended it next to the little warrior. In a spilt second, the second blob had also turned into a samurai. The two locked in a stare-down while drawing their weapons and circling each other. In a quick motion, they sped towards the center and their tiny swords clashed, sending water sparks flying. One pushed the other back and raised his sword, bringing the hilt down on his opponent's head. The second spun to the left, dodging the attack and slicing at the other's side. Thanks to his armor, the first man was only pushed to the right and-

"Strange to find you out here, Shiromori-san." She jumped, the two water samurai lost all form and splashed into the pond.

"Hokage-sama!" She hastily stood and bowed her head. He laughed and patted her shoulder.

"Bring them back, I'd like to see them." He said, looking at the water's surface. Mutsuko blinked momentarily before bending down and touching the water twice, instantly bringing up two miniature samurai identical to the ones before. The Hokage seemed to marvel at the tiny figures as they came up to eye level. "My, my, if I remember correctly, this is similar to the armor samurai really wear, yes?" Mutsuko nodded proudly.

"It's exactly the same." She grinned.

"Very impressive, your people are quite brilliant with armor and weaponry." He stated, examining the little man carefully. After a moment, Mutsuko piped up.

"Speaking of weaponry, I saw some of the people in my class using a weird looking dagger. It was sort of diamond shaped in the middle and narrowed to a point." She squinted, recalling the strange weapon she had held. The old man looked surprised.

"You must be talking about kunai. It's very common among shinobi, we carry them in weapons pouches along with some other types of supplies." He explained.

"That's cool, we don't use weapons pouches. It must be nice having a bag full of sharp things everywhere you go." She grinned and they both laughed.

"I suppose so!" The wrinkles around his eyes deepened with his smile. "So how do you like Konoha so far? Are the people treating you well?" He asked with honest curiosity.

"Definitely! And the village is really interesting, everything seems so different here." She nodded to herself. "Oh! I've been meaning to ask you something! Um... why did you agree to the treaty?" She tilted her head. "Shinobi outnumber samurai a thousand to one. You don't need a treaty to know we won't attack." The Hokage chuckled, causing her to frown in confusion.

"It's not about threat of invasion, the culture of your people is rich and fascinating. I simply thought it should be spread, that more people should know of it." He explained.

 _'Liar.'_

"Well that's nice to hear! But then why'd you agree to give military support? And why would I be needed?" She pushed further, trying to pry as much information about the whole thing as possible.

"Your leader and I both thought it would be beneficial to give a gesture of peace. For us it was offering full military alliance, for them it was sending one of their own." He said, shrugging. "But let's forget that, now that you're here I hope you can learn plenty about our culture in your time with us." He smiled, skillfully sliding away from the topic. Speaking of time...

"Oh! It must be past my break! Sorry sir but I have to go!" She bowed hastily before sprinting back towards the center of the village.

Hiruzen blinked at the girl's rapidly retreating back.

 _'What an interesting young lady.'_ He smiled to himself.


	3. Getting Used to It

"I'm here I'm here I'm here!" Mutsuko shouted as she ran towards the masked anbu so fast that she'd barely stopped herself from slamming into the Academy building. "I'm sorry I'm late!" She clapped her hands together and hung her head in shame.

"No need." The man glanced at a nearby clock. She followed his gaze just in time to see the hour hand slide to the number one. "You're on time." It only took a second for her to crumple in relief.

"Oh thank goodness." She breathed, a hand over her heart.

"Anyways, we should get going. You have a cultural orientation class next." He stated, turning and beginning to walk away.

"Wait for me!" Mutsuko yelled, leaping up and dashing after him.

* * *

"No way that lady was an actual teacher." Mutsuko crossed her arms, shamelessly venting to the silent shinobi. "You guys all have the same weapons? Seriously?! And you work in teams? She was kidding right?" She exclaimed, arms flying everywhere. The man next to her, on the other hand, was as level headed as can be.

"No, it's true." He said simply. It didn't help.

"What?! I mean, I knew some people here used the same type of dagger but I thought they were all different! They're really all have the same? How can you tell which ones are yours? What happens if you lose one?!" She was on the verge of a meltdown and her companion seemed rather unsure what to do about it.

"I'm sure you'll grow to accept it." He offered, only further infuriating the fuming girl.

"Hmph!" Mutsuko restrained herself, glaring at the ground and pressing her lips together.

A minute of silence passed between the two as they continued on their path.

"Do samurai have custom weapons?" The girl looked up, surprised at the sudden question. That was the first one he'd asked her all day.

"Of course! Our swords are made by our blacksmiths and they're all different. Anyone who can afford to do it will get a sword made, and I even know some people who have five or six of them." Her eyes gleamed as she remembered how beautiful the blades looked with their silver plated scabbards and jewel embedded guards.

"Do you have a sword?" He continued. Though his tone didn't show it, he was undoubtedly curious. Mutsuko grinned; she was always happy to talk about her precious katana.

"Yep! I call him Atoyamai, I got him from old man Mifune after I finished my apprenticeship and he's really a great sword." She smiled, completely forgetting her anger from just a minute ago. "He should be getting here soon. I hope he's alright." She turned to gaze at the dimming sky.

All of a sudden, the anbu stopped walking. She looked over to him questioningly before glancing in front of them. It was her apartment building.

"Oh, we're here already." She thought aloud. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, it was nice talking to you!" She bowed lightly.

"Good night." He returned the gesture before disappearing.

A cold wind blew behind her as she turned towards the gleaming black building. It wasn't quite time for bed and there was still plenty to explore... why not take a walk?

* * *

The village was almost more beautiful in the evening than it was in daylight; insects made a symphony of chirps, lamps gave off their soft light, and people seemed to roam the streets without a care in the world.

What a nice city.

Soon, Mutsuko came across a bench by a small garden and decided to sit for a while. This was a noticeably quieter part of town, she was the only one in the garden and there were very few people passing by. A bit of silence never hurt anyone.

Just as she was settling down, a voice broke the quiet.

"Why are you here?" The cold tone dampened her mood a little.

"It's pretty." She responded briefly, turning to glance at the person. It was the blue haired boy from Iruka-sensei's class. "Am I bothering you?" She asked out of sheer politeness. He scoffed and hardened his glare.

"We don't need samurai in a shinobi village." He stated bluntly.

 _'Bold words for a kid.'_

"I'm sorry if you don't want me here but it wasn't my decision." Her tone was patient; she couldn't get angry at someone younger than her.

"Sasuke!" Someone called, causing them both to glance in behind them. A young man waved as he drew closer. "I've been looking for you." Stepping next to the boy, he put a hand on his shoulder.

Mutsuko recognized him, he was the one that she'd seen in the training field earlier that day. They really did look alike. What was his name again?

"Was my brother bothering you?" The voice snapped her out of her daze and she was suddenly aware that he was looking at her.

"Oh, of course not!" She shook her head, smiling pleasantly.

 _'I'll let him off easy this time.'_

"That's good. Let's go Sasuke, father needs to speak with you." He said to the younger boy before glancing back at her. "Apologies for the intrusion." He nodded curtly and turned around, walking away with his brother by his side.

Mutsuko's eyes trailed after the two for a moment, the same thought from before lingering in her mind.

 _'I swear I've seen him before.'_

* * *

The next day came all too quickly for Mutsuko.

Light streamed through the window, dancing straight into the girl's eyes. She squinted and rolled onto her other side, pulling the covers over her head.

 _Knock knock_

She groaned and glanced up at the clock on the opposite wall. 7:16. Resisting the temptation to simply ignore the knocks and stay in bed, she swung her feet out and onto the floor, rubbing her eyes while trying to remember why in the world someone would be at her door this early. Throwing on her old yukata, she ran a hand through her hair before cracking the door open, again squinting at the brightness outside.

"Good morning, Shiromori-san." It was the anbu from yesterday, mask and all.

"Oh. Right." The memories of yesterday's classes came to mind as she blinked slowly. "Um, one minute." She closed the door and quickly got herself ready: washing her face, fixing her yukata, and giving herself a brief pep talk in the mirror. Giving her left hip a pat, she reopened the door and stepped out. "Let's go."

On the short walk to the academy, the two settled into a comfortable silence. There were a surprising number of people out already; many shops were open and people were merrily heading to where they needed to be. Mornings in Konoha were much busier than mornings back home; it was so always cold that there were never any signs of life until about 10 o'clock. Of all the great things about this village, Mutsuko would definitely have to say the weather was her favorite. She closed her eyes and breathed in the warm morning air, a small smile settling in her lips.

"I presume you remember where to go?" The man asked abruptly. She looked up to see the academy building and quickly tried to recall the way to the classroom.

"Um, yea! I remember!" She said with a wry grin.

"I will return when the lecture ends." And with that, he was gone.

At this point, many other children, all of whom seemed to be younger than her, were walking into the school building so she followed, deducing that classes would be starting soon.

Glancing at the doors on both sides, Mutsuko slowly passed through the halls in search of the right one.

"201... 203... 205..." She couldn't seem to remember what the room number was...

"Shiromori-san." Startled, she whipped around and saw the old professor from yesterday. His single visible eye seemed to pierce through her. "Class will begin soon; you would do well to hurry." He said, brushing past her without a second glance.

Hesitantly, Mutsuko followed the man and soon arrived at the right door. Slipping to the back of the room, she took a seat and just as the lecture began.

Today, the topic was early chakra users and developments in jutsus and hand seals. Unable to keep herself engaged with the droning, Mutsuko drifted off into her own thoughts: imagining what was happening back home, thinking of how the other samurai children were training while she was stuck here. She wondered how long she would be staying in Konoha and whether or not her friends back home would write to her. Surely there was no rule against that, right? She wondered if they would get better and leave her in the dust, but then she thought of the new abilities she would learn here and how she could show off once she got back. That eased her mind a little.

Fortunately, all her daydreaming made the class go by incredibly quickly and before she knew it, they had all been dismissed.

Stepping out of the build, Mutsuko took in a breath of fresh air and sighed; she glanced around for her anbu friend and soon spotted him leaning against a light post not far away.

"Hey, let's go." She grinned once she reached him.

"You seem to be happier with the lecture today." He commented as the two started towards her next lesson.

"I guess so." She chuckled, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

* * *

"Hello, Mutsuko-chan!" Iruka-sensei greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning." She waved and took her spot in the third row.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, we'll start class." His voice echoed in the training field. "Once again, we'll begin with some basic ninjutsu, the first one will be the Body Flicker Technique. It's derived from the substitution jutsu we learned yesterday and lets the user teleport from one place to another. Only one hand seal is required which makes it all the more simple." He clasped his hands together, leaving both index and middle fingers pointed up, and disappeared.

"You must focus on where you want to reappear or it won't work very well." The class turned around to see Iruka standing just behind them. Most of the students seemed giddy to learn the technique, they'd grown up seeing everyone around them doing it and now they'd finally get to join in on the fun. "Alright, everyone give it a try. Concentrate on a spot past those dummies over there." He pointed at a ring of wooden training dummies about twenty feet away. Everyone formed the seal he had demonstrated and focused on the area behind the dummies, willing themselves to appear there.

One by one, students began disappearing, and while many successfully reappeared near their target area, others were not so fortunate. The pinkette landed about five feet shy of the dummies while a short brunette boy somehow managed to get himself stuck in a tree, a redhead stumbled as she reappeared on the side of a large boulder and Naruto had barely covered three feet before falling flat on his face. Even these attempts, however, ended up better than Mutsuko's.

"It's not working." She mumbled, pressing her hands closer together and trying to direct chakra through them.

"What seems to be the problem?" Iruka asked, approaching the girl.

"Nothing's happening." She could feel her chakra flowing through her fingertips but it didn't seem to be doing anything. The other students seemed oblivious to her struggle, however, all of them being preoccupied with teleporting again and again, seeing who was the fastest.

"Try imagining yourself disappearing and reappearing." So she closed her eyes and did just that. Again, nothing. Her frown deepened. "Don't worry, everyone learns at a different pace. No one does it perfectly the first time." He patted her head comfortingly. "We'll move onto some other jutsus, alright?" He smiled and called for everyone to return to their spots.

Next, they learned the paralysis jutsu: a technique that freezes the target momentarily, a technique that Mutsuko was unable to do. Then came the transformation jutsu, used to change one's appearance. Another one she couldn't manage. Next was water walking, more of a skill than a jutsu, that Mutsuko was surprisingly able to master on her first try.

"See? I knew you'd be fine, you're doing great!" Iruka gave her a thumbs up before her shock had even worn off. Before she could respond, multiple loud splashes sounded as people fell flat on the water, Naruto among them.

"Hey! No fair! How are you doing it?" The blonde whined. She smiled and helped him up, trying to talk him through it.

"Just expand the chakra in your feet so that it's kind of flat and spread out. I'm not too good at explaining but give it try." She smiled encouragingly.

"Ok..." He rested a foot on the surface of the water tentatively. "So focus on the- AH!" He fell before he could even get the other foot up.

"Are you ok?" Mutsuko asked, stifling a laugh.

Maybe her day was getting better.

The taijutsu session that followed proved to be more kind to her than those jutsus had been. Today, Mutsuko had been paired up with a pretty blonde girl who had long hair and bright eyes. She didn't quite remember who the girl had fought yesterday nor what her abilities were, but judging from her near perfect jutsu performance, she was fairly skilled.

One by one, Iruka-sensei called pairs up to spar with each spar lasting about the same length as yesterdays. By the time it was Mutsuko's turn, all but two pairs had already went.

"Ino and Mutsuko, come up please." The girls stepped to the front of the class and faced each other. The blonde girl, Ino, offered her hand and a smile.

"Let's give them a good fight." She offered confidently. Mutsuko, despite finding it odd, shook her hand and nodded in agreement.

"Alright, begin in three, two, one!" Ino swung her leg the moment Iruka-sensei leapt away. Mutsuko leaned back, letting the kick pass just an inch in front of her nose. She dodged a follow-up punch and grabbed the offending arm, pulling it sharply to make her stumble.

Ino quickly regained her balance and whipped around with a strong fist aimed at the other girl's stomach, only to have her hand blocked and twisted. She managed to pull away but winced and grit her teeth as her wrist throbbed. She jumped, landed behind the brunette, and swept a leg under her all in one swift motion, but she still wasn't fast enough as Mutsuko easily slid out of the way. Ino lunged with an arm pulled back but made no contact as the brunette again slid out of range. She quickly turned around with another attack ready only to be thrown off course by a kick to the ribs.

Having fallen a few feet to the left, Ino regained her footing and dashed forward once again, though she was quickly met by Mutsuko who had done the same. When the two were just an inch away from each other, the brunette, with unforeseen speed, brought her leg up and landed a kick straight in the jaw, sending the other girl flying.

"Finish!" Iruka-sensei shouted, suddenly appearing on the battlefield. "The winner is Mutsuko!" He announced. He then immediately went to tend to Ino, asking if she was ok and if she needed a medic. The blonde denied and pushed herself off the ground. She stepped in front of Mutsuko and shook hands with her, as was customary at the end of a spar. Her grip seemed a little too tight.

* * *

"Hey Mutsuko-chan!" A voice called from behind. The girl turned to see a smiling Naruto running towards her.

"Are you alright?" She frowned worriedly. "You got hit pretty bad." Naruto's match, which had been last, ended in his opponent landing a solid punch to the boy's chest.

"Nah, that was nothing! I'll just train harder and beat him next time!" He grinned, confident as always. "Anyways," He took a seat on the rock she was resting on. "You know some of our classmates were talking about you." Mutsuko frowned; that usually didn't mean anything good.

"What did they say?" She inquired curiously. Naruto rested a hand under his chin and hummed.

"I think it was something about how you fight weird." He recalled.

"What? Really?" She was surprised; she didn't fight any different than the rest of them, right? "Do I fight weird?" She questioned. Naruto tilted his head at the question.

"Yea! You didn't notice?" He blinked. "I'm not sure what it is, but you kind of glide around when you're sparing. It might just be how we were trained but us shinobi have stronger jumps and stuff when we fight!" He explained enthusiastically.

Now, if he hadn't spoken in such a friendly tone, she might've been more offended. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and told herself that he didn't mean anything negative by it.

"I guess so." She hummed, looking up at the cloudy sky.

"Yea. But you're really strong anyways! You beat Ino and she's even better than me!" He nodded. "But one day I'll be stronger than everyone! I'll be the Hokage!" He declared without hesitation or mind for who could hear him.

"So that's your goal? Well I hope I'm around to see it happen." She smiled encouragingly. Just as she looked back towards the far tree line, she spotted her anbu friend. "Oh, I have to go, see you later!" She quickly waved goodbye and began jogging away from the field.

"How was training?" The masked man asked when she reached him.

"Not bad, I won the spar today." She stated with a smile. "Can't seem to get those jutsus down though."

"You learned chakra control differently; it will take time to adjust."

"Still kinda sucks that I can't do it."

"A shinobi sent into the samurai world would have the same problems."

"Heh, I guess you're right."

"You'll get better with time."

"Hopefully."

The two stopped when they reached the edge of the busy market.

"Same as yesterday, you have a half hour break." He stated. "Be outside the academy by one o'clock. Until then." And with that, he disappeared.

Mutsuko sighed at the empty space next to her. _'So he can teleport too...'_

Slowly making her way to the small pond she had discovered yesterday, the girl sat at its edge and stared across the water at the forest on the other side. It was quiet enough to hear the bugs humming. Peaceful and scenic. You would never find anything like this back home.

Speaking of home...

"Oh! I've forgotten about my training!" She realized suddenly. "If I don't keep myself focused old man Mifune's gonna kill me!" Her hands cupped her cheeks as it hit her: "I'd better start practicing." Mutsuko jumped to her feet only to remember that she couldn't practice anything without a sword. Then, thinking back to her earliest days of training, she hurriedly began searching for a branch to use in its place.

After a minute of keeping her eyes glued to the forest floor, Mutsuko found a long, thin branch that she deemed usable: it was just a little longer than her arm and was about as thick as a real sword.

Now with a makeshift weapon in hand, she stepped back, about five feet from a small tree, and held it by the thicker end, positioning it by her left hip. She channeled chakra into the branch and turned herself slightly.

In a fraction of a second, she had lunged forward and swung the weapon. Now standing five feet in behind the tree she had been facing, she straightened herself as half of the tree slid off and crashed to the ground. The remaining stump had a nicely diagonal face that, although not quite smooth, was clearly not the work of mother nature.

Mutsuko sighed, slumping slightly. _'I've gotten rusty...'_ She frowned as she again lowered into an attack stance, eyes turned to another tree.

* * *

"You were almost late." The masked anbu mused as an out of breath Mutsuko came running towards him.

"Sorry I... lost track... of time..." She puffed, hand on her chest.

"No need to apologize, we'll make it to your next class in time." He said as turned and started walking

"Wait!" The girl called breathlessly as she rushed to catch up.

* * *

"I hate it I hate it I hate it." Mutsuko chanted as she rubbed her temples, an uninterested anbu next to her. "Why are you guys so complicated? Why do I have to know these things? What did I ever do to deserve this?" She wept to the evening sky.

"I suppose the lesson was on village history?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Why me? I'm a good person. I just want to live in peace." She rambled. "I don't want to know about your wars. I don't need it. Why am I being punished?"

"You'll get used to it. After all, you just got here." He said, intending to comfort her. The girl let out a frustrated yell and continued to sulk, arms limp and head hanging. He chuckled audibly at her dramatic behavior while she unabatedly grumbled about her misfortune all the way back to her apartment.

"One day." She sighed, back pressed to the door. "One day I'll understand." But for now, all she wanted to do was lay down and fall asleep. Rolling under the covers, Mutsuko flinched as her joints popped then let out a relieved sigh, melting further into the mattress.

After a few minutes of almost drifting off, she finally worked up the energy to flip over and click the lamp off. Then, after a quick pat of the strap at her waist, the girl drifted into a quiet, dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **Hello dear readers! For those of you who know me, you'll know that I usually update on Sundays so this chapter might be a bit out of the blue. I was feeling pretty sick earlier so I couldn't really do much, I thought why not get to editing a chapter?**

 **Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed this new installment of Mutsuko's life in Konoha! Things are only getting started and the action is ready and coming so stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 **I always love seeing reviews so please leave your thoughts and make my day, plus it encourages me to update faster!**

 **Thanks again and I'll see you next time!**


	4. Letter From Home

And her days went on like this; lecture, training, lunch, lecture. There wasn't a day where she could slack off or sleep in and she was improving rapidly because of it. Every day, she was assigned a different sparring partner during training, and every day they would be stronger than the last. She would always manage to beat them though; taijutsu was her strongest point. They had been learning some genjutsu recently and Mutsuko was at the top of her class for that too, her illusions were always spot on and even Iruka-sensei had trouble distinguishing them from reality. Despite this, she was regularly lacking in ninjutsu. It just wasn't working for her. The girl could barely ever manage to get one right, leading her to wonder how she'd nailed that transformation jutsu on the first day. In terms of ninjutsu, she fell behind even Naruto, leaving her at the bottom of her class. She didn't understand why she couldn't get it right.

After training was over, she would always use her lunch break to practice her Iaidō. Using whatever branch she could find that day, she would practice by the lake until her half hour was up. Then she would attend her cultural orientation lecture, which always ended in a headache.

Today was a Saturday, meaning no classes and no training. Well, no group training anyways. Mutsuko was out by the lake, branch in hand, practicing her movements over and over again. One foot forward, hand by hip, lunge. One foot forward, hand by hip, lunge. It was just before noon and she had already been practicing for two hours. By now, her shoulder ached from repeating the motions so many times, but she didn't let it bother her, weekends were the only times she could train for longer than half an hour and she needed to take advantage of it.

The sun was beaming intensely that day, Mother Nature must have forgotten that it was supposed to be autumn. Mutsuko wiped her brow and squinted up at the sky, hands on her hips.

 _'I must have died and went to hell._ ' She sighed deeply, her breathing still ragged from training. _'I better take a break. Just for a bit.'_ Dropping the branch, the girl padded towards the marketplace in search for somewhere to cool off.

As she wandered the bustling streets, a small, traditional teahouse caught her eye. Nestled between a grocery store and a tailor, the place was rustic looking and reminded her off the buildings back home. She decided to give it a try, ducking under the small hanging cloths, she entered the little wooden shop.

The place had a very soft, aged feel to it. The walls were dotted with oil paintings and small shelves that hung above several sets of tables and cushions. Two of the tables were occupied by other customers, leaving two more open. The sliding door near the entrance stood open and a little old lady wearing a kimono emerged from behind it.

"Welcome dear, please have a seat." She led the younger girl to the closest table and gestured for her to sit. "What can I get for you darling?" The woman smiled warmly.

"I'd like a green tea and cheesecake please." Mutsuko responded after a brief glance at the menu.

"Right away." The older woman nodded and shuffled away, disappeared behind the screen door. Not a minute later, she returned with a small plate and set it in front of the girl. "Your tea will be ready in just a moment." Mutsuko smiled gratefully and thanked the woman. Picking up a pair of chopsticks, she dug into the little yellow square of cake. She sighed as it hit her tongue.

 _'Tastes like the ones back home.'_ She thought happily, taking another bite. As she was enjoying the sweet bit of heaven, the sound of ruffling cloth made her look up. She was met by a pair of angry green eyes. It was the pinkette from her training class. From what she remembered, the girl didn't stand out too much in terms of skill.

"You're Mutsuko, right?" The girl glared.

"Can I help you?" The pinkette narrowed her eyes.

"I'm warning you to stay away from Sasuke. He's mine and I won't let you have him." There was a moment of silence as Mutsuko processed her words.

"The blue haired one? What makes you think I'm interested?" She raised an eyebrow. She she had been paired with him for sparing for the past few days, and that was simply because they both excelled hand-to-hand combat. The girl's glare faltered.

"You... don't like him?" She asked uncertainly. Mutsuko shook her head, causing her to look down at the table. "Oh. I guess I was... I just thought..."

"It's fine." She waved her off. _'Not exactly the best way to confront someone though.'_ She thought silently.

The pinkette kept her eyes on the table for a moment, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Then suddenly, the girl extended a hand and offered a wide grin.

"I don't think we've introduced ourselves properly, I'm Sakura." The sudden change of tone surprised Mutsuko who, although hesitant, shook her hand anyways.

"I'm Mutsuko, but I guess you already knew that." She smiled as best she could.

"So how have you been doing? You know, in Konoha." Sakura asked.

"Good, it's nice here." She answered briefly. The pinkette's sickly sweet tone slightly unnerved her, she'd been ready to fight a minute ago.

"What is it like in your country?" She asked without pause.

"Um, well, it was a lot colder. People there aren't as lively and we don't go outside the city much." Mutsuko wasn't sure what else to say.

"What did your city look like?" Again, no hesitation.

"The city? It's... more traditional I guess." She paused. "There aren't many tall buildings since they're all wood. We never really adapted to metal skyscrapers and all that." She admitted. Sakura nodded with interest and continued to throw question after question.

"What's it like being a samurai?"

"How many of you are there?"

"What kind of training do you guys do?"

"What are your people like?"

"Is it hard being cold all the time?"

"Who's your leader?"

"How do you deal with all the snow?"

"Where do you train?"

Mutsuko groaned internally, silently begging her to stop. They had been there for over half an hour and by now, she was desperately looking for an escape.

"Do you get missions like us?"

"Um... not really." She glanced around, looking for a reason to leave. "Probably not in the same way."

"Ok, are there different ranks for samurai? Like how we have genin, chunin, jonin, and anbu."

"We have so-" She stopped when her eyes spotted someone.

Right across the street was Sasuke's brother walking by.

That's it.

This was her chance.

"Sorry Sakura, but I just saw Itachi-san and I need to talk to him. I'll see you in class. Bye!" Swiftly, she pulled out money for the food, slammed it on the table, jumped up, and power walked out of the teahouse.

"Itachi-san!" Mutsuko called out, jogging over to the older boy. The Uchiha stopped and glanced at her, evidently unsure as to what she was doing. Once she was close enough, she lowered her voice. "Just keep walking." She whispered. She could feel Sakura's eyes still following her. Itachi gave her a questioning look before continuing forward as requested.

Just ten seconds later, once she was sure they were far enough away, Mutsuko let out a relieved sigh, stopping after they turned the corner onto another busy street.

"Care to explain?" Itachi's stare was sharp and unnerving.

"Sorry about pulling you away like that, I needed to get out of a conversation." She bowed deeply. "Thank you for helping me." There was a moment of silence.

"You have gotten out, may I leave now?" Mutsuko was surprised by his blunt tone. She had to blink a few times before fully processing his words.

"Oh!" She flushed with embarrassment. "Yea! Sorry again for bothering you!" She bowed again, hands clasped together. He gave her one last glance before turning and walking in the other direction. Mutsuko watched as he disappeared in the crowd, a slight frown on her face.

 _'Did I upset him?'_

* * *

It had been a month since Mutsuko arrived at Konoha and she was adjusting rather well. The morning lectures were still a pain though, so were the cultural development classes. Those were often the cause of her intense suffering, whether due to boredom or incomprehension, and were undoubtably her least favorite thing about Konoha.

Her training, however, was a more anticipated part of the day. Well, the latter half of it anyways. She was continuously unable to do most ninjutsus regardless of how hard she tried. And that little fact didn't make things easier for her, there were pervasive rumors among the village children that the samurai girl didn't have chakra, that she was unable to fight, that she didn't know how to use weapons, and these kept the controversy around her alive. Apparently, as she had gathered from conversations with her anbu guide, some people were still furious about her very presence in the village, they thought she was a security risk and, in a way, she understood why. She probably wouldn't be ecstatic if a stranger from another country came to her home town, especially if she didn't know anything about them. Could they be plotting against her people? Were they sending village secrets to their leaders? Could they be scouting to find flaws in our defenses? These were all reasonable questions to be asking, however, her empathy was heavily limited by the fact that she hadn't been in contact with anyone from her village in the time she'd been here.

Despite the large number of Konoha citizens who didn't particularly care for her, she had managed to make a few friends. Naruto was certainly very nice, as was Iruka-sensei. And her anbu guide seemed to be warming up to her a little more. The Hokage was pleasant to be around too, usually giving her some piece of advice or another. All in all, Mutsuko was pretty content with the way things were going. It could only get better from here.

A bright and gelid Friday morning found the girl in the Hokage's office. She had been woken up even earlier than usual and, bundled in two jackets and a scarf, shivered her way up the Hokage Tower, trailing just behind her anbu friend who seemed to not have noticed the biting cold.

"You wanted to talk to me, Hokage-sama?" Mutsuko started as she slid into the seat in front of the old man's desk, pulling her jacket closer in a desperate attempt to conserve some heat. The Hokage smiled pleasantly before nodding to the long, thin box that lay between them.

"This came yesterday evening; I thought you would want to see it as soon as possible." His eyes twinkled. "Go on."

Mutsuko looked at him curiously before carefully opening the box on the short end. She slid out a long cloth bag that was tied with twine on one end. There was a metallic clanking sound as it touched the table and a wide smile spread across her face. She hastily untied the string and pulled out its contents.

A long, slightly curved katana with a shining hilt now lay in her hands. The sword, which was about as long as her leg, had a polished silver guard and an intricate black braid. The cap was silver as well and was wrapped in detailed designs, the most prominent of which were a pair of wings, fully fanned out and proudly displaying its plumage. The sword, of course, had come sheathed and the scabbard was just as refined as the rest of the blade; the glossy wood was solid black except for two lifted silver bands around it, one lying four inches below the collar and the other about twelve inches below that, and both had small metal loops attached on the inside of the sword's curve. Mutsuko's face absolutely radiated with delight.

"It finally came!" She squealed, hugging the sword close to her chest. "I almost thought they forgot!" She brought the weapon to an arm's length to examine it, eyes still sparkling with excitement.

Sarutobi seemed pleased with her delight, a small smile plastered on his lips. "Good, good. It came with a letter from General Mifune as well." He slid a plain white envelope towards her, which she eagerly took. Pulling out a folded piece of paper, she wasted no time and dove right in.

 _To Shiromori Mutsuko,_

 _I hope this letter finds you well and adjusted to Konohagakure. I apologize for not being able write during these first few weeks, the details of the deal are quite exhaustive, but we should be able to communicate frequently from now on._

 _If all went well, Atoyamai should have arrived with this letter, I've taken up his maintenance in your absence and I'm certain you'll be ecstatic to have him with you. However, I must recommend that you keep him inside your home as much as possible, I am sure the people of Konohagakure would not be pleased to see a katana in their midst. Remember our cultures are very different._

 _From what I've been told, you've been doing well in your training with the shinobi class and we're very pleased to see you learning new abilities. That being said, I expect to see that the training from your appenticeship has not been forgotten._

 _Both Gyukudo-san and Maho-san are very concerned about your safety, I insist that that you write to them soon, perhaps that will ease their worry and keep them out of my office for a day._

 _Speaking of which, they're here again. I expect a letter soon._

 _Best of luck,_

 _General Mifune_

Mutsuko smiled at the abrupt ending, she could practically see the exasperated face of the general as he had to deal with the two worry-sick council members. Her adoptive parents had anyways been quite controlling when it came to her safety, she was unsure why they had ever agreed to send her here. Nonetheless, it was nice to know they were thinking of her, even if it meant they were battering Mifune because of it.

"You may send a response whenever you'd like." Sarutobi spoke up, pulling her from her thoughts. "Though I suggest sooner than later. I'm sure they're eager to hear from you."

Mutsuko's delight was evident in her smile as she nodded furiously.

"I will, thank you sir!"

* * *

Mutsuko slumped in her bedside chair and groaned as her back popped. After another long day of lessons, she was tired and worn. Normally, she would have laid in bed or gone for a walk, but the only thing on her mind was writing back home. It had been demanding her attention since she'd gotten the letter that morning and she was more than excited to get started on her response.

For the next twenty minutes, she sat hunched over her desk, scribbling neatly across the paper, pausing once in a while to gather her words and scratch her nose with the pen.

It was only when her mind began to dim that she sat up and glanced over at the small carriage clock on the table behind her: 8:12 PM. She knew it was still rather early but the drooping of her eyelids convinced her otherwise.

 _'Time to sleep'_ They urged.

And it didn't take long for her to comply as within five minutes she had changed into a t-shirt and flopped down on the terribly comfortable bed. Wiggling her way under the covers, she found that the lamp suddenly seemed very far away. Demonstrating a stretch that she was convinced should earn an award, Mutsuko managed to click off the lamp and instantly began falling into the wonderful grasp of sleep.

In her last second of functioning thought, she gave a soft pat to her left hip and breathed in approval before quickly falling into the night's quiet embrace.

* * *

 **Hello again dear readers! How did you like this chapter? I know many of you have been excited for Mutsuko and Itachi to interact so here's just s little glimpse, I promise there's more to come!**

 **I love your reviews and I hope you keep them coming, it really helps us authors write and update faster.**

 **Thank you for reading and I hope you have a great day!**


	5. Distaste

"You look tired." Sakura observed conversationally as I arrived in the training field. She'd taken to trying to befriend me these past few weeks, and since Iruka-sensei was clearly running late today, it seems like I was going to have to talk to her.

"A little, I didn't really sleep well last night." I gave her a wry grin and continued to my spot. Apparently she took this as an invitation to follow.

"So what jutsus do you think we're learning today? I heard sensei talking about some summoning jutsus a few days ago!" The pinkette glimmered with excitement. I frowned internally; she knew I wasn't good at jutsus, everyone knew. What we were learning that day wasn't particularly important to me, I was sure I'd do just as well as every other day. I hate to admit it, but honestly most of the kids in this class were far better at ninjutsu than I was, despite then being younger than me.

Does it annoy me?

Every time I think about it.

"That would be cool, I've never seen a summoning before." I replied with a nod.

"Well I have and it is pretty cool. I hope I can make friends with the animals I summon!" She paused. "And summoning weapons or other stuff would be useful too! That way you'd always have a surprise attack!" She declared as if she had just enlightened me of a heaving burden. "And yo-"

"Hey guys, where do you think Iruka-sensei is?" A voice pipped up from behind. I turned to see Naruto dropping to sit next to me.

Sakura's smile quickly faded into poorly masked annoyance.

"I don't know but I'm sure he'll be here soon." Her tone was as polite as she could make it, probably vexed at having her epiphany interrupted. The blonde, however, seemed to take no notice.

"He's not usually late. I hope he forgot we have class!" He tittered gleefully. Unfortunately, his hopes were quickly snuffed as a puff of smoke appeared in front of the chattering students.

"Sorry everyone! The Hokage wanted a word with me and it took a little longer than I thought. But anyways, let's not waste any more time, please stand in your spots." He directed and we all shuffled into formation. "The first part of today will be a weapons training. You will all get to practice with different long and short range weapons and we'll be using those dummies as opponents." He gestured a recently added patch of wooden people with targets on their chests.

As a unit, we migrated over to the dummies and Iruka-sensei summoned an array of weapons from thin air, instructing us to all pick up a kunai.

"I know a-, er, most of you are very familiar with this first weapon but it never hurts to go over the basics." He plucked a blade from the pile and flicked it at a target; it zipped through the air and embedded itself in the red dot at the center. "Accuracy is an important thing for all shinobi to master. Everyone take a target and give it a try."

We all hurried to claim a target and stood about ten feet in front of it. I gripped my kunai tightly and brought it up near my ear before hurling it at my inanimate enemy.

Well, I mean, it hit...

The ground behind the dummy.

I felt my cheeks redden as I saw all the other kunai striking at or near the bullseye. Even Naruto's ended up in the second red ring.

A snicker came from behind me and I turned to see Sasuke smirking at my flopped attempt of a throw. Of course he just happened to be next to me. I sent him a glare and turned back towards my dummy, jogging towards it to retrieve my kunai. Fortunately, some other students were going to retrieve theirs as well so I was able to blend in to some degree as I casually bent down and scooped up the weapon.

When I got back to my spot, I did my best to ignore the _thuds_ of metal hitting wood and focused on my target. Slowly, I lifted the kunai again and aimed carefully, only hesitating for a second before closing my eyes and flinging it at the painted board.

I swear I sighed all the air out of my body when I heard the thud. It was identical to the dozens of others sounding around me and I couldn't be more grateful for it.

I looked up at the dummy and paused.

Then I looked to my left, where Sasuke's target stood with a kunai stuck in its outer ring.

Then I looked at Sasuke who was staring at me questioningly, probably because his kunai still in his hand.

Thankfully, we soon moved on to a different weapon: a pair of sai. The good news was that I had used weapons like it before and I was actually pretty good at it. The bad news was that we were throwing them today, something I definitely had no experience with.

And it went just as well as I'd thought it would.

By now it was glaringly obvious that perhaps these projectile weapons weren't my strong point. The world seemed to be feeling particularly generous regarding my misfortune today.

Halfway through the class, however, the powers above began to take pity on me.

"Go ahead and set the quivers next to the bows and pick up a sword to your left." My ears immediately perked at the word 'sword' and I sprung to life, dropping the bundle of disobedient arrows and swiping up one of the long, shiny blades from the standing rack.

I was overjoyed to have my hands on something familiar, so much so that I didn't care how strangely light it was or how it clanked precariously. Unlike my own sword, this one was not a katana, instead it seemed to be more like a poorly made ninjato. The thin, straight blade was clearly not made of the usual iron or steel since it was much too light for that, which made me wonder what it was made of, though I didn't get much time to contemplate as Iruka-sensei spoke up again.

"Everyone find a partner. And be careful with your swords!" He added sharply, frowning at a girl who apparently wanted to know how sharp the blade was by poking herself in the hand.

"Sakura-chan!" An enthusiastic shout came from my right and I turned to see Naruto dashing towards Sakura. "You wanna be partners?" He grinned hopefully, and the pinkette, much to my surprise, accepted with just a little bit of reluctance.

"Hey, Mutsuko right?" I turned to face a pretty blonde girl who had one eye hidden behind her hair. "Need a partner?" She offered with a small smile. If I recall correctly, she had been one of the people who'd hit the bullseye on every try with all the weapons so far. If it was the same with a sword then I'd definitely like to spar her.

"Sure." I smiled politely and we moved so that we were a good distance away from the other pairs.

"Now remember, I don't want anyone getting hurt today!" Iruka reminded pointedly. "I only want you practicing simple attacks and blocks. You may begin!"

We all turned towards our partners and I took a few steps back, positioning the sword by the left hip and hovering my hand over the hilt. Ino quickly drew the blade and discarded the sheath, clutching the handle with both hands. I would have frowned at her technique were she a samurai.

She stepped towards me and I did the same. She took another step and I did the same. We were just a foot away from each other when she suddenly swung her sword down at me. In the blink of an eye, mine was drawn and clashed with hers overhead. Her eyes widened and her grip weakened, giving me the chance to circle my blade around hers and twist it out of her hands. I flicked my sword to the right and hers was sent clattering to the ground.

Ino looked between me and the now discarded blade, shock evident on her pale features.

"H-how did..."

"I'm a samurai, remember?" I shrugged, sliding my sword back into its dented sheath and picking up its counterpart. "It's kind of what we do." I offered her the grip and she hesitantly took the sword, her eyes staying fixed on it like she'd never seen one before.

I'd quickly realized that she'd assumed I was just a particularly untalented student, which was partially true but only due to the fact that I wasn't taught the way they were.

Ino nodded slowly and looked back up at me. "How about another go?" Her smile was back in place and I nodded instinctively.

The second round wasn't much different from the first: quickly ending with Ino's sword stuck in the ground. We were able to get in three more, similarly brief, rounds after that, all of which ended the same way, before we were instructed to "change partners!" by Iruka-sensei.

I bid goodbye to the blonde girl and glanced around, looking for any of the few people I knew in the class: Naruto had decided to challenge a grey haired boy, Sakura paired up with Ino, and Shikamaru, whom I'd spoken to a few times before, was still partnerless. I started towards him, deciding that he was the best option, before being promptly stopped by a voice.

"Hey." Someone called from behind me. I say 'somebody' but I, unfortunately, knew exactly who the irritating monotone belonged to. "We're partners." Sasuke stated authoritatively. I resisted the urge to sigh as I saw Shikamaru pair up with a redhead boy.

"Fine." I grinded my teeth and turned to face him. I was about an inch taller so it was pleasantly easy to glare down at him.

"You may begin once you've found a partner!" Iruka called.

We both stepped back so that there was about five feet between us. I assumed my stance, and surprisingly, Sasuke seemed to be mirroring it. My eyes narrowed instantly. My fingers twitched as they hovered a hair's length away from the grip of my sword: a position which he copied as well.

In a burst of anger, I took a step forward and, next thing anyone knew, I was in front of him, my sword drawn and pointed at his neck. He was mid-step and had he caught himself just a second later, things wouldn't have ended quite so well for him.

My irritation was well hidden as I watched his jaw clench, a bead of sweat sliding down his forehead.

Did he really think he could draw a sword like I could? Or had he assumed Iaidō was something that could learned with a glance?

I'm not sure what it was about his actions that had ticked me off so easily and I don't know why I was so upset, but I could ponder that later. Right now I needed to compose myself. I squashed the angry thoughts and stood up straight. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and sheathed my blade before stalking back to my starting spot.

I turned sharply and stared at the boy, who looked a mix between unnerved and confused. Luckily, neither of us had to be first to break the tension since Iruka immediately came running towards us.

"Mutsuko! Please don't do that! Sasuke could've gotten seriously hurt." He chided, giving me a disapproving frown. I huffed an apology and he hesitantly left with a "be careful."

There was a momentary silence where neither of us said a word.

He was the one to speak first, muttering a simple "again" and lowering into an attack stance.

So he was persistent, I'll give him that.

This time, he was smart enough to draw his sword before charging at me. I knew he was fast from our previous spars so I had no trouble meeting his blade. Unfortunately for him, his one-armed swing wasn't quite strong enough; I shoved him back and twisted his sword away in the same motion, causing him to stumble and his arm to fly to the side. His chest was left wide open to attack and, had I been an enemy, he would have been in a world of hurt. He must have realized this too as he recovered his stance as quickly as he could, a scowl now stamped on his face.

An tingling sensation spread through my hands as he took a step towards me. Though it was partially hidden by his hard expression, his movements were noticeably wary. It was always good to keep your opponents on their toes, to scare them just a little bit.

I motionlessly shook my head, I shouldn't be proud about winning against him; he was younger than me after all. I gave myself a mental slap on the wrist and returned my attention to the battle on hand.

I watched carefully as he stepped forward again, there was a sudden shift in his weight as he lunged at me, faster than last time. He feinted a swing at my left shoulder while aiming a kick at my right, and if I were any dimmer I might not have noticed it. I flicked my wrist and the pommel of my sword struck his calf, earning a pained hiss.

Sasuke stumbled backwards, almost tripping when he put pressure on the injured limb. He held his weight on his right leg and glared daggers at me. "Alright everyone, that's enough practice with the swords." Iruka announced with impeccable timing. Judging by his tone, he must not have noticed my wounded friend. "Put them back on the racks and get to your spots." We obligingly set our swords back onto their stands and shuffled to get to our positions in the square.

Iruka-sensei smiled at us and swiftly made all the weapons disappear. "That was good! I hope you all have a feel for the different kinds of tools you might want to use later on. And we'll be continuing to work with them tomorrow so be prepared." He skimmed over us, grin still in place. "Well that's all I have for you today, I need to run so I'll see you tomorrow." He waved before puffing away with a burst of smoke.

A collective sigh went through the class as our neat formation dissolved into small blobs of chatter.

I sat against one of the target dummies and winced as my back popped. It's been a while since I'd spared with a sword. It felt good, no matter how terrible the sword itself was. It reminded me that I had to find some time to practice with Atoyamai now that he was here. Just as I began brainstorming when and where I could do so, a pair of voices caught my attention.

"What's wrong with your leg?" A male voice questioned suspiciously.

"Nothing." The distinctly flat sound belonging to none other than Sasuke replied. I looked up to see him and his brother walking a distance in front of me.

"Are you hurt? You're not usually very clumsy." Itachi stated. Sasuke was walking with just a whisper of a limp, and frankly I was impressed by his tolerance. I didn't clip him too hard but it had to hurt; I always bruised pretty bad when I got hits like that.

"I'm fine." He asserted, clearly not in the best mood. He shot me a glare out of the corner of his eye and I waved cheerfully back at him.

"Shiromori-san." I almost jumped at the voice. I looked up and saw a familiar mask looming right above me.

"Jeez, quit sneaking up on people." I huffed and pushed myself off the ground.

"My apologies." He was anyways so formal.

"And I told you to call me Mutsuko." I reminded as we started back towards the village center. It was cold today and the wind only added to that, I pulled my jacket collar over my nose in an effort to shield myself from the biting chill.

"Protocol." He shrugged.

"Same reason my you won't tell me your name?"

"Correct."

"You're no fun."

"So I've been told."

I chuckled, despite my statement, he was actually pretty interesting. He could hold a decent conversation, just couldn't talk about anything too personal. That didn't stop me from blabbing on about myself, though. I would complain about how my orientation class was always such a bore, about how terrible I was at jutsus, about how complicated the shinobi mission system was. He would tell me little fun facts every now and then and I would laugh for one reason or another. I would gush about how excited I was to have Atoyamai with me, how terrible it was that shinobi didn't all have unique weapons. He would subtly poke fun at me and how fond I was off a sword.

It was nice to have a kind-of-friend.

As usual, we stopped by the edge of the marketplace.

"One o'clock." He said simply before puffing away.

I turned on my heels and, instead of heading for the lake, I started towards my 'apartment' building, as I'd taken to calling it.

Slipping past the heavy front door, I eagerly tugged my precious sword off the wall and let a bit of chakra flow into it. The blade began to fade until only a slight distortion of space remained. Like old man Mifune had said, people probably wouldn't appreciate seeing the foreign kid walking around with a sword at her hip. Right before I left, he had taught me how to create a shell that hid the sword by blending the light around it, and though it still left an odd ripple in the air where the weapon should be, it would work well enough that I could sneak it past the villagers without anyone noticing.

I made it to the lake in no time and lifted the protective shell. I hadn't passed anyone in the field on my way here and there wasn't anyone in sight, so I wasted no time in getting started.

I chose a tree and marked it with a small, shallow cut about four feet above the base. I stepped back so I was no less than ten feet away from my target and shifted into an offensive position: left hand holding the scabbard, right hand barely touching the grip, one leg drawn back, and standing tall. I fixed my eyes on the tree, not looking at the mark, and stared it down for a moment. My mind was barely aware as I launched myself forwards and made a swift slash.

I closed my eyes and listened carefully, incredibly pleased at the lack of noise. I dropped my battle stance and turned around, sheathing my precious sword.

As I crouched down by the tree, I examined the mark I'd made earlier. Just skimming the top of the of the cut was a thin line that wrapped all the way around the trunk; it was practically invisible unless you were looking for it.

I gave a satisfactory sigh, proud that I had retained my training in my time here.

But, if I wanted that to continue to hold true, I had to keep practicing. So I picked another tree a few feet away. Then another. Then another. And by the time my lunch break was over, I'd gone through nearly two dozen.

Of course, I knew that I had destabilized these trees and that they could fall over once they started dying, meaning they might hurt someone on their way down, so I walked over to the nearest one and pushed it off balance. The top half of the tree, which was about seven feet tall, tilted slowly before giving into gravity and crashing to the ground, a loud _thud_ sounding as it hit. I found the other trees and sent them down as well, thanking myself for having the foresight to choose targets that were decently scattered, making it much less obvious that the area had been used for training.

* * *

"You always manage to make it just on time." The anbu mused as I puffed, doubled over and trying to catch my breath.

"I'd never... make you wait." I grinned, still slightly lightheaded. "Anyways! Take me to the torture chamber!" I commanded with a finger pointed to the sky.

"Clever." He said halfheartedly. I knew he was smiling under that mask.

"That's what they call me!"

* * *

A knock came at the Hokage's office door.

"Come in." He called, his smoking habits painfully evident in his voice.

The door squeaked open and Iruka stepped out from behind it. Sarutobi motioned for him to sit, setting his pipe down on a raised wooden square.

"How did she do?" He questioned, leaning back in his chair with elbows resting on either side.

"Even better than I'd expected. I don't think I've seen anyone so young handle a sword like that." Iruka nodded thoughtfully. "She used it as naturally as we use hand signs, it was really quite impressive."

The Hokage chuckled humorlessly, a light smile lingering behind. "As expected from Mifune's student. And how is her ninjutsu coming along?"

"Not much improvement, unfortunately. She doesn't seem to be able to direct her chakra correctly..." Iruka trailed as he saw the older man shake his head. "Sir?" Sarutobi turned his chair to face the window, staring silently for a moment before answering.

"It's not her chakra control that's the problem." He stated gruffly. "Samurai have an excellent understanding of the nature of chakra, perhaps even better than we do. They're a very spiritualistic people, you know." He added mildly. Iruka hesitated.

"Then... what do you think she's having trouble with?" He asked uncertainly. Sarutobi hummed, as if carefully contemplating his answer.

"That... I am unsure of." He said finally. "We will need more time to find out. And maybe it won't matter at all. Time will tell." It was clear he wasn't going to continue on the topic, so Iruka simply nodded and remained silent. "Anyways, your reports are very helpful. Please continue to keep an eye on the girl." Sarutobi turned back around to face him.

"Of course, sir. Please excuse me then." The young man bowed respectfully and made his way out of the room.

* * *

 **Hello hello! I hope you enjoyed this new installment of Mutsuko's adventures! I really had fun writing in a first person POV and I plan to do quite a few more in this style. As always, I love all your reviews and I really hope you'll take the time to leave one.**

 **Thank you all for reading!**


	6. Letters and Meetings

A couple days later, I woke up to the sound of something dropping onto the floor a distance away. It was light and sounded like a small stack of papers. Letting curiosity get the better of me, I swung out of bed, scanning the floor for what could have awoken me from my slumber. About ten feet from me was a small, square envelope lying on the ground by the front door.

Pattering over to it, I picked it up and was immediately surprised by its elegant look. Metallic black vines wrapped around the edge of the envelope and front flap, there they disappeared under a red wax seal that had a small symbol stamped into it. The symbol was familiar; I think I've seen it somewhere befo- oh! I remember! It's the one on the back of Sasuke's shirt, the red and white circle that had a thin line trailing from the bottom. I think Sakura once said it was his family crest.

Then the confusion set in; what do the Uchihas want with me? I frowned suspiciously and peeled up the wax seal, opening the envelope and pulling out a little white paper that also had gleaming black details along the edges. The paper, or card really, was written in beautiful calligraphy characters and only made me more curious about what it said.

* * *

 _Dear Diplomat Shiromori,_

 _We hope you have enjoyed your first weeks in Konohagakure and are pleased with our village. We are very fortunate to have your great country as an ally._ _Seeing as your first month here has recently concluded, I would like to invite you into the Uchiha Clan compound and discuss your sentiments about our city. As you are aware, the Uchiha Clan has strong influence over the police force and would therefore be well-equip to address any concerns you might have as well._

 _We would be pleased to welcome you for lunch to discuss such topics. If you so desire, please be ready by 11:30 this afternoon, our son will escort you to our home._

 _With respect,_

 _Uchiha Fugaku_

* * *

Just as I finished the last line, something else was pushed through the door's mail slot and landed silently on the floor.

It was another little envelope but this one was long and narrow. I pried open the front flap and slipped out a rectangular piece of paper.

* * *

 _Mutsuko,_

 _Allow me to begin by saying that this letter will burn itself once you have finished it, so I advise you pay close attention._

 _The Hokage is aware that the Uchihas have extended an invitation for you to meet with their clan head this afternoon. He asks that you accept. Although they had not requested permission for such a meeting, he believes it is best that you agree. He would like to assure you that you should not be worried about meeting with them, he would like me to say that they are a kind and respectable part of the village._

 _However, I cannot deliver that message in good conscience._

 _I must warn you to be cautious when you are in the Uchiha compound. Do not wander off in their territory, do not stay longer than necessary, and do not reveal any information that you find to be sensitive or confidential. I cannot explain any further due to my position, but I can assure you that your physical well-being is unlikely to be compromised, so you should feel free to accept whatever food they might offer._

 _Keep your guard up and do not tell anyone what I have said._

* * *

I frowned at the letter as its edges stated glowing red.

What in the world was that?

What was any of that supposed to mean? Are the Uchihas plotting some evil scheme? Why should I go? Why do I need to be careful? Are they going to try and get information from me? Why was I invited in the first place?

My hands dropped as the small embers reached the last remaining corner of the letter, erasing all evidence that it had ever existed. Even the envelope it came in had burned away.

Who wrote that letter? There was no name, it was simply signed "Your friend" at the bottom. Should I be trusting what they said? Could they have been lying?

I sighed loudly and dragged myself back to bed, plopping down and tossing the remaining letter on the table next to me. It was too early for all of this. I'll deal with it later. Right now I need a few more minutes of sleep.

* * *

As a result of my forced early risings on weekdays, my internal alarm pushed me into consciousness sooner than I would have liked. It was nine thirty, still a full two hours before my meeting with the Uchihas. I swung myself off the bed and quickly got dressed, picking out a nice purple blouse and thick leggings that I'd purchased for these colder types of days.

Stepping into the bathroom, I picked up my brush and absentmindedly started running it through my hair, the invitation stubbornly refusing to leave my mind.

Uchihas. What do they want with me? I wasn't so gullible as to believe any of them actually cared about how I was doing, especially since they hadn't gone to the Hokage first. I'd been here long enough to realize that most groups or officials that wanted to talk with me had to request the Hokage's permission first. Apparently that was part of the deal. It's a little odd really, how tight the security around me is. Since I first arrived, I'd repeatedly noticed I was being tailed: in the marketplace, during class, even when I was with my anbu friend. I was sure that they were all Konoha shinobi, more anbu members perhaps, and probably weren't there to harm me. They were more than likely just making sure I was ok, but it was still pretty unnerving.

I'm getting off topic. I need to figure out what the Uchihas are up to. What they're after. From what the second letter had said, it seemed like they want some sort of information, but what could I possibly know that they don't? The anbu guide once told me that Uchihas head the police force and had massive influence over the village, so surely they would be able to get whatever they needed through those connections, right?

I really couldn't think of anything I could offer that would be of use to them, so I decided to let it go for now. I'll just have to see what happens.

At exactly 11:30 AM, a knock came at my door. My nerves began flaring and I had to take a deep breath before opening the door.

"Hi S-" I paused, blinking at the man before me. "You're not Sasuke."

"So I've noticed." Itachi stated, his blank eyes boring into mine. "Father is expecting your arrival by noon." He moved to the side and I reluctantly stepped out of my apartment, closing the door behind me.

We made our way down the stairs and out the building, the uncomfortable silence growing by the minute.

"Sorry I almost called you Sasuke. I just thought the letter was referring to him, you know, since we're in the same class and all." I needed to lighten the atmosphere before I broke into a nervous sweat, even if it meant blurting the first thing that came to mind.

"I understand." He said shortly. Oh no. Had I offended him? I mentally slapped myself as my hope for getting on his good side shriveled deeper into its corner of oblivion.

But regardless, I had to open my big mouth one more time.

"He's really talented. I think he's at the top of the class in just about everything." Yea, good job Mutsuko. Just keep talking. It'll definitely make things better.

"He is very gifted." Itachi agreed, smiling slightly. "He's might be the most hardworking kid in our clan."

Wait a minute.

Did it actually work?

Did I really just start a conversation with this guy?

"Y-Yea! You know he really looks up to you, he talks about you a lot." I said with little thought. Maybe I can make a good impression if I keep up the conversation.

"Does he? Are you two close?" He asked. I sweat dropped.

"Well not really... I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me." I grinned sheepishly.

Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"And why is that?"

"Erm, I might have... injured him in our last class... but just a little!" I added quickly. I doubt he would be thrilled to hear it but that was probably what cemented Sasuke's dislike towards me.

"So it was you." He mused, nodding slowly. Surprisingly, he didn't seem to be upset. "I noticed he had a slight limp, of course he wouldn't tell me what happened but I had assumed it was from training." I stared at him cautiously.

"I thought you would be a little more... angry." I thought aloud.

"Training is training, everyone's going to get hurt at some point." He explained.

Bless this man and his forgiving heart.

"But he usually doesn't get many injuries from that class, I'm curious as to what kind of training you two were doing." He stated, eyes still trained ahead.

"Oh, we were practicing with swords, I accidentally hit his leg." I answered, casually throwing in the word 'accidentally.' Itachi nodded understandingly.

"That makes sense." He commented, more to himself that to me. "You must be quite skilled with a sword." Once again, I was surprised at where this conversation was going.

"I'm not too bad but there are plenty of people better than me." I grinned. "I'm trying to get better, I train as much as I can so I don't forget anything." He nodded, seeming genuinely interested in what I'd said.

"Samurai are not well understood among shinobi, I'm certain there are many misconceptions about them, but we do know that you are a very skilled group." I smiled at this; he's interesting.

"That's very nice of you but some of us are no good. Of course, those people usually don't finish their training so they never become actual samurai." I nodded thoughtfully.

"Your culture is quite fascinating, perhaps we can talk more at a later date." He stopped walking and I did too. Looking up, I was shocked to see an enormous arched entranceway framed by tall stone walls stretching farther than the eye could see. There were deep blue banners boasting the clan crest draped on either side of the archway, I almost expected to see a castle behind it.

Itachi took a few steps towards the entrance and waited for me to follow. It took a few more seconds for me to come to my senses and pull my eyes away from the impressive stone structure.

As we got closer, the details of the barrier really hit me. The arch must have been five times my height and the wall must face been ten. The gleaming clay tiles spread on the perch above the entrance were perfectly black and looked brand new. There were hand-sized square holes dotting the length of the wall, no doubt to be used by lookouts. Some of the bricks embedded in the surface even had tiny, intricate designs carved into their faces.

We passed through the enormous archway and I momentarily noticed the steel gates on either side before being completely stunned by what was in front of me.

The building complex must have stretched a mile in every direction. The traditional wooden houses reminded me of the ones back home, only these were larger and stood in massive numbers. I never would have imagined anything like this, no wonder the clan was so powerful.

From where I was by the entrance, I could see dozens upon dozens of people hurrying to their destinations, strolling around the streets, coming in and out of houses, and just standing around talking. It was almost like having a village within Konoha.

I had to shake myself out of my daze to notice Itachi was beckoning me into the compound. I hurried forward and we started towards the busy town center.

There was a large crowd of raven-haired people bustling around us and it would only take one wrong step to be swept away in the current. I had to stay right behind Itachi, half wanting to glue myself to his arm to keep from getting lost.

We weaved our way through the mass of people for much longer than I was comfortable with before finally coming to a less lively part of town. From there, it only took another minute of walking to reach what was unmistakably the main family's house.

A large traditional home much like the others here stood before me, the only difference being in the small details like the carved wooden pillars dotting the sides of the house and the clan symbols painted along the walls outside. It was a very beautiful house.

Itachi motioned for me to follow as he ascended the small steps and slid the door open.

"I'm home." He called, shutting the door behind me as I glanced around tentatively, suddenly on high alert. I wasn't sure what to expect, I wasn't sure if I should even be here at all. Just as I was beginning to fidget, a female voice sounded from somewhere inside the house.

"Welcome back." Light footsteps followed and my heartbeat skyrocketed.

A raven haired woman in a deep blue dress emerged from behind a door and smiled when she saw me.

"You must be Shiromori-san, we're so glad you could make it!" She greeted cheerfully.

"It's nice to meet you, Uchiha-san. Thank you for inviting me to your home." I bowed politely. She laughed lightheartedly and took my hands in hers.

"Please, call me Mikoto." She insisted. "Come, I'll show you to our living room." I followed obediently as she lead me and Itachi to a large room filled with cushions and tables. There were some very expensive looking paintings and vases in there too; I made a mental note not to touch anything.

"My husband will be down in just a minute. And lunch is almost ready, excuse me." She smiled once more before hurrying off, presumably to finish her cooking, which, by the way, smelled amazing.

I carefully chose a small cotton cushion and sat down, legs folded under me. I heard Itachi settling somewhere to my right but I was too preoccupied with staring at the floor. What was the Clan Head like? He sounded pretty dull from the letter but that was probably just because of formalities. But what if he's actually really strict? Is he looking for information like the other letter implied? Should I even trust that mystery person? I have no idea who wrote it so could they might not be trying to help me at all. But I don't have anything else to go off of, it's my only clue as to why I'm here. The Hokage did know about this, right? He'll explain everything, right?

"You seem nervous." My tumbleweed of worries was stopped in its tracks. I looked up with what must have been a frown of sorts.

"Is it obvious? Sorry, I just don't know what to expect." My hands began fidgeting in my lap as I tried to push away the stressful thoughts, eyes falling back towards the ground.

"Try to relax. Father can be intimidating but he's kind to guests." I nodded mechanically and the thundercloud of worries began forming once again.

'I'll be fine. I'll be fine. Just act normal. Everything's going to be just fine.' I tried to comfort myself with little success.

"Itachi!" Mikoto's voice called. The said boy stood up and nodded for me to do the same.

"Lunch is ready." He said, sliding the door open for me.

I followed him to a surprisingly simple dining room: just a low-set table and five cushions placed around it. There was a vase holding bright yellow flowers in one corner too, sitting on top of a small wooden table, but other than that it was bare.

Mikoto had set out plates of steaming hot food and our bowls were already arranged. She was bringing out the last dish when one of the doors slid open. My heart stopped when I saw a tall, stern-looking man walk in.

"Shiromori-san, it's good to finally meet you. My name is Uchiha Fugaku, I thank you for coming on such short notice." His voice held about as little emotion as humanly possible and my worst fears were confirmed: there was no way he would have invited me here without a motive. It was then that I stopped questioning the letter's legitimacy; he wants something and, chances are, that something is information.

"Thank you for welcoming me into your home, Uchiha-san. It is an honor." I bowed deeply, already on high guard for anything suspicious he might ask. "Please sit." He nodded as he took his own seat at one end of the table. Mikoto, Itachi, and Sasuke, who had appeared out of nowhere, took their seats on the long ends of the rectangle, leaving only the seat on the other end open. I sat down quickly and we said our thanks before starting to eat.

Throughout the whole meal, I did my best to avoid looking at Fugaku. Unless he was talking to me, my eyes were glued to my plate. Unfortunately, the monotonous Uchiha produced a steady stream of questions, none of which seemed to be of particular importance. "How are you adjusting to Konoha?" "How is your training coming along?" "How much of the city have you explored?" It was small talk and it made me question if I was just being paranoid.

A neatly set down my chopsticks when I finished my meal and continued to answer his questions. Apparently seeing that I was finished, the others, who had been silent the whole time, finished what was on their plates before setting down their chopsticks as well. I felt a little guilty; they must be pretty uncomfortable too.

"Well, it seems we're all finished." Fugaku said, standing up. The other three did the same and I quickly followed. "Let us continue to talk elsewhere." He glanced at Mikoto and she nodded, motioning for the brothers to leave as she began gathering the plates. Fugaku turned back to me and gestured for me to come with him.

When we came to the living room, I sat down on the same cushion as before. He took a seat about two feet in front of me.

"I'm surprised to hear that you are settling well in our city. I imagine such a drastic relocation must be difficult for someone as young as yourself." He said without a hint of concern in his voice.

"It was a big change, but I think Konoha is a very nice city to live in." I nodded with a small smile.

"Your country must be quite impressive in its own right. I hear the land itself is stained white from the snow." I laughed, though it was small and forced.

"Not exactly, but we never see the ground outside our village; the mountains are always covered in at least few feet of snow and ice."

"I find your country very fascinating, do tell more." He insisted. I knew exactly what I was going to say, I had said it so many times to so many people that I didn't even have to think before my mouth started moving.

"My village is relatively small, especially compared to Konoha, but we are strong and loyal. We all know our neighbors and the kinship among samurai is unbreakable." I started my little speech and smiled politely.

"Your village seems to be a very pleasant place. You must be particularly close with your family, then." He continued. I paused: not many people had asked me about my family, actually I think the only person who had was Naruto.

"I would say so. My adoptive parents are very protective of my brother and I." He raised an eyebrow.

"Adoptive?" He questioned.

"My biological parents died shortly after I was born, I was taken in by an older couple." I explained.

"I'm sorry for your loss." He said, but of course he didn't mean it. "How long have you trained to become a samurai?" He changed the subject obligingly.

"Six years. It varies depending on the person but six years is quite average." He seemed to be a little more interested now.

"I hear the samurai population is rising these days, would you say so?" Fugaku asked. I blinked in confusion; that was an odd question.

"I haven't noticed any significant changes... but it may be true." I offered. I really didn't know anything about a population growth, maybe I wasn't paying enough attention?

"I see. The Hokage mentioned you have a sword here in Konoha." He started, looking at me expectantly. So he's interested in our weaponry? Where is this going?

"Yes, my sword was delivered not long ago." I said, unsure of what he wanted to hear.

"The blacksmiths in your village are highly esteemed, yes?" Ok. I'm lost.

"The skilled ones." I confirmed.

"I see, I see..." He nodded, seemingly deep in thought. Suddenly, a loud bell chime echoed through the room. It sounded like it was coming from somewhere outside.

"Ah, it must be one o'clock already." He looked up at the ornate wooden clock mounted on the wall. "I have taken up much of your time. Thank you for your excellent company, I will call Itachi to take you back to your home." He stood up and slid open the door, waiting for me to follow. I gladly did so and he told me to wait while he disappeared around a corner.

Not a minute later, Itachi emerged from behind the same corner and nodded for me to come with him.

He led me to the front door and we slid on our shoes before stepping out of the house.

I let out a deep sigh the moment my foot touched the ground.

"Thank goodness." I breathed quietly. Finally, I'm away from that man's cold, cold stare. Even though I barely knew Itachi, he was a welcome companion after my hour-long interrogation.

"You seem relieved." He commented as we made our way towards the exit gate.

"He's so uncomfortable to talk to." I scoffed bluntly. "Honestly, compared to him you're a dream come true." I breathed in the afternoon air and sighed loudly.

"I'll take that as a compliment." He said flatly.

"You should." I chuckled. "Because it is." The corner of his mouth twitched up and I grinned triumphantly. Making him smile: check. Another step closer to making up for my terrible first impression. I frowned and shoved away the memory of my escape from Sakura that threatened to come to mind. "Anyways, sorry that you're stuck with bringing me home. I'll be fine so you can go." I could see the gate in the distance and I'd be able to find my way back from there.

"No." He stated flatly. I looked up at him questioningly.

"No?" I repeated.

"If something happens to you it will be on my watch." He explained without sparing me a glance. "That would lead to more trouble than its worth."

I was silent for a moment, still staring at him, before a wide smile crept across my face.

"You're starting to like me, aren't you?" I whispered suggestively. He turned to me with raised an eyebrow and I burst out laughing. "So you've forgiven me for using you as a distraction that one time?" I asked once I had gotten my giggles out.

"Is that what you were hoping for?" I nodded vigorously. "Then you are forgiven."

"Great!" I shouted victoriously.

At least one good thing came out of the most uncomfortable hour of my life.


	7. Strange Uchiha

_To Mutsuko,_

 _I am happy to her that you have taken a liking to Konohagakure and we hope you will continue to represent us well._

 _Everything here in the Land of Iron is quite the same, it has been a rather uneventful few weeks. The council has been noticeably anxious however, mostly due to concerns over our relations with neighboring shinobi countries. As of right now, though, it is not a pressing issue._

 _As you must know, your family misses you dearly, especially Gyukudo-san and Maho-san. They are still very worried about your safety but hopefully they will settle down soon. Kunio seems to be concerned as well, and though he prefers to keep it to himself; I have seen him practicing his swordsmanship into the late hours of the night. As much of a hard worker as he is, this is unusual even for him. Unfortunately, the Hokage has limited your written contact to strictly political purposes, essentially only allowing letters to and from my direct subordinates and I. I understand it must be difficult to be separated from your family and friends, but rest assured I will do everything in my power to change this policy. In the meantime, please be patient and cooperative with the Leaf, it will help us negotiate for better terms._

 _Hopefully you have made some friends in your new home; it's good to connect with others your age. I recommend you try and learn some skills from them, particularly the ones not taught in your classes, and sparring is an excellent way to test your abilities against those of your peers._

 _That being said, please try to minimize the injuries; it won't be good for our image if you send someone to the hospital. And for the sake of my old heart please remember that you may not challenge anyone to a death duel. Best case scenario, they take it as a joke, but I would prefer not to have a repeat of what happened with Tobio-san._

 _Aside from these few warnings and updates, there is nothing else of note that I have to tell you, so I will end this letter here._

 _Take care and train hard,_

 _Sincerely,_

 _General Mifune_

I folded the paper and dropped it into the little tin box where the first letter lay. I sighed and smiled just a little; despite the news that I wouldn't be able to write to my friends back home, I took comfort in knowing that I hadn't been forgotten just yet.

I knew my parents were worrywarts but even I didn't realize how restless they would be after I was gone. And Kunio sounds pretty worried too, I really hope he doesn't work himself too hard; he already trains enough as it is and any more might damage with his health.

I breathed slowly and stood from my seat on the bed. I needed something to clear my mind. Swiping Atoyamai off the wall, I automatically sent some chakra into the blade, the reflective shell solidifying just as I hauled open the front door and stepped out into the cool autumn air.

Another month had passed in the blink of an eye. Time is a slippery thing. It was hard to believe that I had been in Konoha for over two months already. Over these past few weeks, I had been sure to make plenty of time for Atoyamai, we always practiced by the forest near the lake: the very place I was heading to now. Determined not to fall behind my friends back home, I had converted my lunch breaks into training sessions. I wasn't sure if I was improving but at least I knew I wasn't getting worse. I used my free time after classes to train too, though I didn't have much of that, seeing as it was always dark out by the time culture class was over.

There really wasn't much for me to do outside my classes, it was the same schedule every day: class, training, training, class. It was getting a bit tiresome. I really hoped something exciting would happen soon, maybe that would mix things up a bit, but for now I was fine with lying in wait.

Winter was fast approaching and the leaves were in their final stages of reds and yellows. The chill in their air had a slight sting to it now, I was beginning to mourn the passing of the days of good weather. I wonder if winters in Konoha are any better than the ones back home. I certainly hope so.

"Mutsuko-chan!" A shout made me flinch. I stopped walking and looked towards where it had come from. Of course, it was none other than the blonde ball of energy: the one and only Naruto.

"Back already?" I asked as I glanced at the pinkette who was trailing behind him. His team had been on a three-day mission to some town to the east of Konoha: something about food reserves going missing if I recall correctly. They must have gotten back not long ago; it doesn't look like he's cleaned up yet.

"Yup! We finished early! It was a really boring mission, I hope old man Sarutobi gives us a higher rank one next time." The sound of a stomach growling made him fall silent. "I haven't eaten all day! I'm super hungry! We should all go get some food!" He grinned excitedly. I frowned and tightened my grip on Atoyamai: this really wasn't the best timing.

"I'm pretty hungry too." Sakura added, smiling cheerfully at me. "You should come with us, it'll be nice to talk to another girl after a mission with this idiot."

"Hey!"

I groaned internally. I couldn't say no at this point. Curse my kindness and good manners.

"Sure, where are we going?" I smiled stiffly.

"Ramen!" He shouted without the slightest bit of hesitation. "Ramen! Ramen!"

"No way!" Sakura objected. "We should go to an actual restaurant."

"But Ichiraku's is an actual restaurant!" Naruto wined. Sakura shook her head and turned to me.

"How about a cafe? I know a good one nearby." She suggested, ignoring the pouty blonde poking at her.

"Sure." I agreed. All I was really concerned about was how in the world I was going to keep anyone from noticing the camouflaged sword in my hand. At least these two don't seem to have spotted it.

"Great! It's really close, follow me!" The girl took off into the marketplace where the crowd was growing by the minute. Naruto and I glanced at each other before hurrying after her, trying not to lose sight of the pinkette.

* * *

"Here we are." Sakura grinned and pulled us both into a large, double layered restaurant that was obviously bustling inside.

We were brought up to the second floor and seated at a small, low-set table near the wall. As we sat down, I casually set my sword in front of my cushion seat, making sure to place it in the shadow of the table.

"The food here is anyways good." Sakura commented while flipping through the laminated menu.

"They don't have ramen..." Naruto mumbled glumly, staring at the pages in disappointment.

We soon ordered our food and were now waiting patiently for it to arrive. At least, I was trying to be patient. If I was sitting in a chair, my leg most definitely would have been shaking anxiously. I felt like I was committing some sort of crime by bringing a katana into a building. Back home, it was custom for samurai to bring only short blades indoors, especially at restaurants or offices. You were supposed to leave your katana behind as a sign of good will towards the owners of the building. And on top of breaking that tradition, I wasn't even supposed to be bringing the weapon anywhere near this many people. If old man Mifune found out he would flip.

Thankfully, a waitress came over with a tray of our food just a few minutes later.

"Enjoy your meal." She bowed slightly before going to tend to the next table.

All three of us said our thanks and started on our food, Naruto being the quickest to get the first bite in.

"So how has training been? Did we miss anything important?" Sakura asked as she broke her chopsticks.

"Not really, just going over what we've learned already. A couple of the more complicated jutsus have some people stuck." Of course, by 'some people' I meant me, myself, and I. Some of my classmates couldn't do them well either but I flat out could not get them to work.

"That's good, I'm glad we don't have to catch up on much." She nodded gleefully.

"Yeah... Um, how was your mission?" I was trying to keep the conversation rolling, maybe that would help me seem less nervous.

"It was great! The town we went to was really pretty and it had the cutest little shops too! They were selling food and toys and fans and jewelry..." I tuned her out after that. I'm sure it wasn't anything important but that wasn't why I stopped listening. I felt someone staring at me. They were sitting to my right, probably a couple tables away at most. I frowned internally and tried to ignore it, telling myself that whoever it was didn't pose a threat and that I didn't need to worry about them.

But the feeling kept creeping back.

Fifteen minutes had passed before Naruto suddenly shot up from his seat.

"Oh! I just remembered Sakura-chan and I need to meet Kakashi-sensei for something." He realized aloud. Sakura seemed to stiffen.

"Right!" She gasped, glancing at a clock on the wall. "And we're supposed to be there in five minutes!" She jumped up. "Sorry Mutsuko-chan but we need to run, see you in class tomorrow!" The two of them slammed some money down on the table and bolted out of the building.

I blinked at the suddenly empty seats in front of me. Well that was... unexpected. But it was a good thing for me anyways. I separated out enough money to pay for my meal and set it on the table before pushing myself off the ground, subtly grabbing my sword on the way up.

I made my way through the jumble of people, slipping down the stairs and out the door in record time. I turned away from the loud streets and started towards my training spot.

* * *

I reached the lake and stopped at the edge. Sitting down, my eyes rested on the water. It was still, not a single ripple.

"You can come out now." I called.

"You've been following me for a while now, you must be tired." There was a rustling sound before I suddenly felt a presence behind me. They remained silent. "I'm curious, what exactly do you find so interesting about me? Or do you stare at everyone when they go out to eat?" I questioned flatly.

"You have a sword with you." The voice was female, probably around my age. "As a member of the Konoha Police Force, I have the responsibility to investigate any possible threats to the public." The stranger took a few steps forward. "What reason do you have for carrying a weapon like that around?" She demanded.

"So my illusion wasn't good enough..." I mused. "That's unfortunate. As to why I carry it, that's a secret." I grinned teasingly.

"I'm warning you, do not bring that thing where there are other people around. If someone gets hurt, things will get messy for you." I nearly scoffed, was this girl trying to threaten me? I stood up and turned to her, my eyes narrowed.

"Back in my country, those are fighting words." I said lowly. "Is that what you want? A fight?" I challenged, unblinking. The girl frowned, contorting her otherwise pretty features.

"I will let you off with a warning. Don't let this happen again." She stated, promptly turning and beginning to walk away before disappearing.

She's smart, I'll admit, cleverly flaunting that Uchiha Clan symbol on her back. She was trying to intimidate me.

The corners of my mouth twitched downwards,. No doubt I'd be seeing her again.

* * *

"How was your weekend?" I asked as we were walking to my first class of the day. "Done anything interesting?"

"I'm sure you can answer that yourself." My unnamed friend replied.

"Come on, I'm sure you get to go on all sorts cool missions." I prodded, peering up at the familiar clay mask.

"I did. Before I was assigned to babysit you." I gasped in feigned offense.

"I'm hurt!" I cried, earning a light chuckle from the man.

"What about your weekend? Surely you've explored another part of the city." He reasoned. It was true, ever since I've been here I had spent good chunks of my weekends discovering new places in Konoha that I hadn't known before. My adventures so far have led to restaurants, trails, and gardens that I wouldn't ever have come across otherwise. Too bad I didn't have much time for that these past two days.

"A little, but I was a bit preoccupied with being harassed by strangers." I huffed indignantly. This seemed to catch his interest.

"And who would ever dare harass Shiromori-san?" He asked mockingly. He was quickly met with a punch to the arm.

"Shut it! And I'm serious! Don't the police know that Atoyamai is here? That one girl clearly didn't, trying tell me I can't bring him out in public..." I mumbled irritably.

"An Uchiha was bothering you?" He asked in a surprisingly concerned tone. "The police do know that you have your sword and there is certainly no rule against carrying those in public." He thought aloud.

"That's what I thought! I don't know why she was following me in the first place." I shook my head angrily.

"Can you describe the person?" I blinked in surprise.

"Um, well she had long brown hair, a bit darker than mine. She was pale too, wore a purple sleeveless shirt. I don't know, she didn't really look like Uchiha." I paused. "You don't need to do anything, nothing really happened anyways."

"I won't. I was just curious." He assured me.

"Good to know. Well there's the academy, I'll see you after class!" I waved and dashed towards the building in the distance. I had my fingers crossed that the teacher wouldn't be that creepy old man again.

* * *

I entered the Leaf Police Headquarters, nodding to my fellow clan members as I passed. I headed straight towards a certain office that I knew she would be in.

I knocked and pushed the door open after hearing a 'come in.'

"Oh hey, what are you doing here? You don't usually come to visit." The brunette stood from behind her small desk and smiled. "Sit." She gestured to the chair opposite her. I took the seat obligingly and she made an odd face. "Is... there something wrong? You seem a little off." She frowned. I decided to be direct with her.

"Izumi, did you confront Shiromori Mutsuko this past weekend?" She froze, then her frown deepened.

"Why does it matter to you?" She sneered. It was out of character for her, she was usually quite polite.

"It matters because any issues between Mutsuko and the Leaf could cause problems for us. The deal is still very fragile, it could easily be negated if the samurai learn that someone, especially a member of the police force, was threatening their diplomat."

"I didn't threaten her." Izumi defended. "She was carrying a weapon and I had probable cause to see what she was up to."

"You knew she wasn't up to anything, besides, plenty of shinobi carry kunai and shuriken on them, are those not weapons too?" I challenged. Her grip on her chair tightened.

"That's not the same thing." She stated through grit teeth. "Look, I know that you're assigned to protect her and all, but you don't have to look at the details, no one's going to notice. Nothing happened between us. If you just leave now we can both forget anything ever happened." She offered. Now it was my turn to frown.

"Izumi. We cannot afford to have any problems with Mutsuko. She has to feel safe here or the deal-"

"The deal should never have been made!" She shouted. "I don't know what the Hokage was thinking, we're not gaining anything from it and our military reserves are being depleted. No matter how you look at it, samurai don't belong in Konoha. We all know it, I'm only doing what's best for us."

I closed my eyes; I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Izumi, always the quiet, kindhearted girl, was spouting blind hate without a second thought.

"Regardless of what you think of the agreement, you must act in the interest of our clan and our village, and that does not include targeting our key connection to the samurai world." I stood and turned to leave.

"Shisui, I'm only telling the truth and you know it." She stated. I stopped, glancing at her over my shoulder.

"No. What you've done is wrong and you know it."


	8. In Over My Head

"It sucks." I frowned, arms crossed and glaring at the sky. "It all sucks."

"What's wrong?" A familiar clay mask peered down at me.

"I don't get it, why can't I do ninjutsu? I worked my butt off trying to get that damn dirt to move and it didn't do a thing! And why does it come so easy to everyone else?" I ranted furiously. It had been a particularly hard day of training. No matter how hard I concentrated, no matter how much chakra I used, I couldn't get a single ninjutsu to work. Why? Hell if I knew. Honestly I didn't even care right now, all I wanted was to go home and sleep. I was too frustrated to want to eat, train, go to class, or do anything really.

"Come on, training is over, you can get up." The man coaxed.

"No."

"You don't want to eat?"

"No."

"So you plan to lay there until you feel better?"

"Yep."

He sighed and sat down next to where I was sprawled. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Oh you don't need to stay here with little old me. Go do your shinobi duties and your fancy jutsus." He jabbed me in the stomach and I jerked away. "Hey! What was that for?"

"You're being a brat." He said flatly. "So you're not good at ninjutsu, who cares? You're not getting anywhere by moping."

I was taken aback at how blunt he was. It stung a little but the worst part was that he was right. Of course, that didn't stop me from puffing my cheeks and rolling a few feet away.

"Your facts can't get me over here." I taunted. I felt a bit better for some reason.

"Is that so?" He hummed before suddenly appearing next to me.

"Not fair!" I complained while continuing to roll away from my problems. I had made it a good five feet before I bumped into something.

"You really are a child." The masked anbu sighed.

"You suck too." I stuck my tounge out at him.

He stared down at me for a second.

"You're smiling. Do you feel better?" It was a genuine question.

Was I smiling? I didn't even notice.

"Yea." I grinned purposefully this time. "Thanks."

"It's my job." He replied with a shrug.

"I'm still not getting up." I stated, arms crossed once again.

His tired sigh made me chuckle. I shifted to face him and poked his leg.

"Hey, so what's new with you?" I asked curiously.

"Me? Nothing out of the ordinary." He answered simply.

"Come on, there has to be something." I poked at him a few more times. "Following me around can't be your entire life." I smirked. Something told me he was smiling too.

"Fortunately, it's not. But most of what I do is confidential."

"Ooo, confidential." I repeated. "How great and mighty you must be!" I waved my arms dramatically, earning another poke to my stomach. "Stop it! " I swatted at him before rolling back towards the other direction.

"You really do need to get to class now." The anbu said again at the end of break. I vigorously shook my head. "You won't have it for much longer, your schedule changes at the end of this week." He added.

My eyes widened.

"What!? Really!? It does?" I gaped in disbelief. "Wonderful news!" I was on my feet so fast that I felt the blood leave my head for a solid ten seconds. I looked at him expectantly. "Well come on! If you don't hurry then we're going to be late." I waved for him go get up. He chuckled and obliged, giving me a pat on the head before pushing me in the direction of my next class.

"Bully!"

* * *

"Mutsuko, you will be paired with Hinata. Both of you, please come up." Iruka-sensei announced during training the next day. We were having an "evaluation spar"; basically a test to see how much we had improved, all methods allowed. My partner came as a surprise, actually. I had constantly been paired with Sasuke for the last month and, though I appreciated the change of pace, I highly suspected Iruka-sensei didn't think I would fare well against him if he could use his ninjutsu; he was undoubtedly the more skilled one when it came to that.

Even though my ninjutsu skills were essentially nonexistent, was it really a good idea to stick me with Hinata? She may be skilled and all but when it came to sparring she was an absolute noodle. She doesn't tend to do very well in her spars, even when she's up against some of the... less gifted in the class.

With a sigh, I pushed myself off the ground and stepped in front of Iruka-sensei, the blue haired Hyuuga doing the same.

We stood in front of the class facing each other. I came to realize that I had never really taken a good look at her before. She was quite pretty: big pale eyes, a trademark of her clan, or so I've been told, dark hair cropped short, and a thin white winter jacket. There was one thing I didn't like about her though: she wasn't looking at me. Even though I knew that was just something she tended to do, it still struck me as a bit disrespectful. I might have acted on that thought had she been a samurai, but I reminded myself that I couldn't because, by their standards, she wasn't doing anything wrong.

"You know the drill," Iruka spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "All abilities are allowed, weapons are permitted, try not to hurt each other too bad. Five minutes starts... now!"

Hinata jumped back and formed three clones, they all moved to surround me but didn't get far as I easily caught the real one with a kick to the back. I was almost disappointed when she didn't dodge.

She stood up fairly quickly, however, and threw a pair of kunai at me. I caught both and pocketed the second. Chakra flowed naturally into the blade and formed a long, clear blue extension; giving me a weapon was her first mistake.

She was forming a chain of hand seals when I cut her off with a swipe to the head. She dodged but was unable to continue her seals. It only took a fraction of a second for me to lunge again, this time aiming for her legs.

"Gentle fist!" She cried before slamming a palm of chakra into my chest. I flew back and skimmed the ground for a few feet.

That really hurt.

At least it would have, if it were actually me.

I watched my body puff into a cloud of smoke, slowly revealing the wooden log lying on the ground.

"Boo."

She jumped and whipped around, a bewildered expression stretching her suddenly pale features.

To her credit, she quickly straightened herself and shifted into an offensive stance, both palms exposed and, presumably, filling with chakra. She suddenly charged and thrust a palm towards me. I shifted left and right to dodge her strikes before grabbing one of her wrists and twisting myself behind her.

She froze when she felt the cool metal pressing against her throat.

"Finish! The winner is Mutsuko!" Iruka-sensei jumped in, declaring the battle over. I let my hand drop, bringing the kunai away from Hinata and reclaiming the chakra from it. I offered the handle to her, smiling satisfactorily when she took it.

"Good game."

* * *

"That was quite impressive." I raised an eyebrow.

"You were watching?" I questioned.

"I arrived just as your battle started." My anbu friend explained.

"Suuure." I smirked. "What about your top secret ninja business, hm?"

"Just take the compliment and shut it."

I chuckled and grinned up at him.

"Yea, yea. But you know, if anyone back home saw that, they definitely wouldn't have anything nice to say right now." I hummed with a disapproving head shake.

"And why is that?" He questioned, turning so I could see the front of his mask.

"Why?" I repeated incredulously. "You must have never seen samurai battle before. We don't fight like you guys. If it were a real duel, I would never have touched her or attacked from behind. It's not seen favorably, you know." I explained.

"You did both just a minute ago." I rolled my eyes.

"Wow it's almost like we have different ideals." I scoffed distastefully.

"So you've been learning from our fighting styles, that's good." He nodded.

"If that's how you see it." I shrugged patronizingly, earning a smack on the head.

"Abuse!"

* * *

Break time that day felt a bit odd.

I stared at the extra kunai I had forgotten to return to Hinata, turning it over in my hands, inspecting it carefully. For some reason, I felt as if I should be practicing with it. Which, of course, didn't make any sense; I was terrible with throwing these things, I couldn't hit the Hokage Tower standing five feet away. Clearly, I was no good with this type of weapon, but then I started thinking.

What if I didn't use it as a throwing blade? I mean, I had basically used it like a sword during that spar, right? Why not practice like that? Well, my mind immediately cranked out a dozen reasons not to but that's not the point. The point was I could start getting more familiar with shinobi weapons, I could just use them in a different way. And so for the first time in a while, I didn't return to my house to get Atoyamai, instead opting to spend some time with the odd little dagger that seemed to be so popular around here.

It wasn't so bad, really. It felt quite strange to use a kunai to do the type of training I did back home, but I was certain it would pay off sooner or later. After all, these things were much more accessible than swords in Konoha.

"Shiromori-san." I jumped and spun around, thoroughly startled.

"Oh, Itachi-san. What are you doing here?" I relaxed, taking in his familiar presence.

"A felt irregular bursts of chakra and decided to investigate." The Uchiha explained, eyeing the blade in my hand suspiciously.

"I'm not about to attack you if that's what you're thinking." I stated indignantly. He shook his head.

"No, I just thought it was odd to see you with a kunai. I assumed you preferred to use your own sword." He knew about Atoyamai? I guess it's not that surprising, he's probably in the Uchiha police force and the anbu did say that the police knew about my dear sword.

"You're right, but I decided to try my hand at a different weapon. Can't hurt to get some experience, right?" I smiled, shifting uncomfortably in my slightly sweaty clothes.

"Of course not." He agreed, eying me carefully. That didn't make me any less uncomfortable.

"I've never really see anyone out here before..." I started, attempting to ward off the creeping silence. "I've been using this place for a while..." I trailed, eyes falling to the ground.

Much to my relief, it didn't take long for him to speak up.

"Do you train every day?" He inquired.

"I come here after class to get a bit of practice in." I smiled stiffly. "What about you? I'm sure everyone in your clan stays in tip top shape."

He chuckled: +1 brownie point.

"We try." He answered, amused.

Quick, Mutsuko, think. You need to make this less awkward.

"I could use a training partner if you're up for it."

I mentally smacked myself the moment I opened my mouth. Yup, saying the first thing that came to mind; definitely the best decision.

"I would like to see what you can do." Itachi accepted, much to my surprise. He took a few steps forward, leaving about seven feet between us.

It took me a moment to realize exactly what I had gotten myself into.

"Shall we start?" He asked. I hesitantly nodded and braced myself, tightening my grip on the lone kunai I had.

He wasted no time in making the first move.

Itachi disappeared, leaving me to curse shinobi and their fancy jutsus. But, luckily, as expected, I soon felt a presence behind me and ducked just in time to hear a blade swiping above my head. I dropped down and swept a leg under his, only to see him jump out of the way and land five feet away.

I pushed chakra into my kunai and instantly felt the comforting sensation of connecting with a weapon. But I had little time to dwell on it as he was in front of me in a heartbeat. My kunai clashed with his and I instinctively twisted it, grabbing his arm and forcing it down. He quickly broke out of my grasp and leapt back again, hands already flying through a chain of seals.

I had to stop him or my odds wouldn't be good. I lowered into position and dashed in front of him. He broke his seals to block the incoming blade, effectively ending whatever jutsu he was about to use.

He jumped up and flung a wave if shuriken at me. I couldn't use any of them so I decided to dodge. I took a quick leap back and charged at him again. He must have been thinking the same as we clashed in the middle, sparks flying as our identical blades scraped against each other.

I pushed myself backwards and we separated. I landed softly and cursed myself for my idiocy; challenging a clearly very talented shinobi when I didn't even have a decent weapon on my side. What a great idea.

I dashed forward, hastily stopping another would-be jutsu before aiming a chakra filled palm at his chest.

He caught my wrist and twisted my arm, leaving me no option but to kick off the ground and flip over him, reclaiming my painfully throbbing arm in the process.

I landed evenly on both feet, trying to ignore the heat in my shoulder. I had lost my kunai in the struggle and now had even less chance of winning. I should have made the safer decision and ended the battle.

But of course, giving up wasn't really my thing.

I glanced at the fallen shuriken to my right and dashed towards them. I plucked one out of the ground and filled it with chakra. I brought my arm high and swiped down, sending an arc of chakra at the Uchiha. He skillfully dodged it and again began forming a hand seals.

Despite not having an actual weapon, I charged at him and cut him off for the third time that day. It was a risky move, though. Without an adequate weapon, one wrong move and I could end up in a very bad situation.

He caught my arm and, just as I was expecting the same twisting pain, he dropped his attack stance and smiled sympathetically.

"I think that's enough for today." He said, letting go of my wrist.

"What?" I shot him a questioning look. "Already?"

"Yes. You have an interesting way of fighting." He commented offhandedly.

"Is... that a good thing?" I questioned slowly.

"Of course. It's very unique." I really didn't know how to respond to that.

"...thanks, I guess." My eyes fell to the ground.

"You did surprisingly well, I didn't think you would be so comfortable with a kunai." Itachi continued. I grinned at this.

"So you thought I was a bad fighter before?" I feigned offense. "How cruel!"

He smiled at my dramatic words and patted me on the head: +2 brownie points.

"I should have expected you to be quite talented. You're very fast, you know." He complimented, causing a wide grin on my part.

"Thanks! I was hoping I hadn't lost my speed." I was celebrating on the inside, absolutely thrilled that things were as they should be. "Actually, I was wondering what kind of jutsus you use, I know I didn't really give you a chance to use any..." I smiled sheepishly.

"My clan specializes in fire techniques." He answered before turning to face the lake behind us. With a quick chain of hand seals and a deep breath, he brought two fingers up to his lips and blew out a blazing stream of fire that scorched the water below.

I felt my breath hitch as I stared in awe; I'd never seen anything like it, the flames reflected in the lake made it seem as if the land itself was on fire.

"You seem impressed." Itachi commented, clearly amused at my gaping expression.

"...now I really wish I was good at ninjutsu..." I groaned, mournfully rubbing my cheeks, knowing that I'd never be able to do anything like that.

"You don't have to be great at ninjutsu to be an excellent fighter." He stated encouragingly, again bringing a smile to my face.

"Sasuke would have taken that chance to insult me, you know." I jittered at the irony. "You're too nice." I grinned up at him.

"Is that so?" He hummed as if considering the statement.

"You're definitely my favorite Uchiha so far." I nodded in approval. "D-"

"Shiromori-san." Someone called to me. I turned around to see my anbu friend standing just a few feet away. I froze.

"Oh no, I must have lost track of time! I'm so sorry, I didn't even think to check! We need to go, today's the last day of that horrible class! Sorry, Itachi-san, thanks for talking with me, I'll see you around!" I shouted, already sprinting towards my destination.


	9. Nostalgia

The day after my last culture class was finished, the Hokage called me in to show me my new schedule.

"You will no longer have lectures at the academy, instead, due to Iruka's recommendation, you will be meeting with a senior shinobi for private ninjutsu lessons. I believe it will help you gain a better understanding of our jutsus." He explained. I wasn't exactly excited for these new private lessons, but if it'll make me better at ninjutsu then I'm all in.

He then told me that my training in Iruka-sensei's class would be ending as well, since the class was a short-term improvement course for academy graduates that would not be taking place again for another year. I was hoping for some other sort of training class because, as much as I hate to admit it, I was going to miss learning among shinobi. Plus it was always fun to spar against the better ones. Unfortunately, it seems that wouldn't be happening anymore.

"In place of your training class, you will be taking stealth and endurance lessons. I would like to see how you do with that, though I don't doubt that you've had prior training." He smiled wryly and took a long puff of his pipe. "Afterwards you will be free to do what you please. I'm sure you'll enjoy more free time." And while that was true, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this new routine.

"Yes sir, thank you." I forced a small smile. He seemed pleased and nodded to the silent anbu behind me.

"Good, then you should be on your way. Your lessons await." He waved for me to go. I stood and bowed lightly before shuffling out of the office, my masked friend following close behind.

"Any idea who my ninjutsu teacher is?" I questioned glumly as we headed towards my first private lesson.

"No." He replied with a shrug. But I knew better.

"Of course you do." I pouted, crossing my arms. "You just won't tell me. Like always." I saw him shake his head from the corner of my eye.

"You're about to meet them anyways, no need to be so moody." He chided. I huffed indignantly and turned my attention back to the road, fervently sulking the rest of the way.

* * *

We arrived at the field where we were told to go and quickly noticed someone was already there. It was a woman: tall and thin. As we got closer, I could make out the pale skin black hair held high in a tight bun. She wore a standard green vest and narrow-necked black shirt underneath. She definitely looked like a high ranking shinobi of some sort.

"Shiromori-san, very nice to meet you." The woman approached us with a slight smile on her face. She was really pretty. "My name is Uchiha Otoha, I'll be your ninjutsu instructor."

"Nice to meet you, Uchiha-sensei." I bowed respectfully, suddenly very tense.

"If you're ready, we'll get started right away. I'm keen to see what you can do." Otoha-sensei motioned for me to follow as she walked further into the large field. I waved goodbye to my anbu friend before hurriedly shuffling to catch up.

"Alright, since it's our first day together, let's go over the basics quickly. Show me your clone jutsu." She instructed. I frowned inwardly: she wasn't going to be impressed.

I brought my hands up and, vaguely recalling the hand seal Iruka-sensei showed me, tried to direct chakra through them.

Just like when I'd first learned it, it didn't work. I couldn't even manage to make a floppy 2-D version of myself like Naruto had.

"Try the body flicker." Surprisingly, Otoha-sensei, didn't seem too disappointed. Unsurprisingly, I couldn't do that either.

A couple hours later and my self-esteem had been chipped down to exactly nothing. I now sat near the top of the Hokage stone heads, slumped and sulking, contemplating why I was so unfortunate as to fail at quite literally every single jutsu there was.

"Odd seeing you here." I jumped at the voice and whipped around to see Itachi standing just behind me.

"Thanks for the heart attack..." I muttered. "Try not to sneak up on me next time. I could've died."

"My apologies." He responded, unreadable as ever.

"So what are you doing up here?" I asked, turning back around to look over the village.

"I was looking for someone. He tends to hide here." He stated.

"I didn't see anyone on my way up." Itachi hummed at my words but didn't turn to leave.

A minute of silence fell between us.

"If you're not in a hurry, might as well take a seat." I motioned to the ground next to me. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before settling down about a foot away.

A gentle breeze blew past, bringing a warm hint to the increasingly cold night.

"We never see sunsets like this back home. The mountains block it out." I smiled at the glowing orange sky. "And the snow usually blocks the light for most of the year. I wish everyone there could see it too... Oh, sorry, I'm getting all sappy, huh?" I grinned apologetically.

"Not at all." Itachi spoke up for the first time in a while. "It must be difficult to be away from your home."

"A little. I just worry about them sometimes. Especially my brother, I'm sure you know how that feels." I grinned.

"Your brother is a samurai as well, yes?" He asked.

"Yea, and he's a real hard worker too. He started his apprenticeship later than most so he's always trying to prove himself. I'm worried he'll push too hard one of these days..." I sighed loudly. I was always the one to nag him away from training when I thought he was going to exhaust himself. My parents never seemed to share my concern though. They encouraged him to train as much as possible, probably because they had pushed all their hopes of success onto him.

Unfortunately, as dedicated as my dear brother is, he isn't very gifted. He has to work twice as hard to keep up with his friends, some of whom aren't very talented themselves.

Fate is a cruel thing, isn't it?

"All we can do is hope they know their limits." Itachi stated sympathetically.

"I'll bet you worry about Sasuke all the time, huh?" I turned to him. "I can tell you two are close."

"I do what I can." He stated simply. "And I'm sure your brother is doing what he can. Trust that he can take care of himself."

"Tch, that's the type of thing he would say." I snickered.

He's always insisted that he knew what he was doing and that, as the older brother, he was the one who should be worrying about me.

My smile faded as a wave of nostalgia washed over me.

I've been in Konoha for three months, I haven't seen my home in four.

I'm starting to miss everyone.

"Say, Itachi-san, you know the Hokage pretty well, right?" I asked quietly, eyes locked on the warm horizon.

"I suppose." He answered, clearly unsure as to why I'd asked.

"Has he ever mentioned when I might be going home?"

He was silent for a moment before responding.

"I don't believe so." I smiled bitterly.

"Ah. Well that's ok, I'm glad I get to live here a while longer!" I grinned cheerfully, but when I looked at him, he didn't seem to believe me. I quickly adverted my eyes. "Anyways, I think I'm going to get going, I'm a little tired." I stood from my spot and stretched my arms as high as I could. "Thanks for talking with me, Itachi-san. I'll see you later." I waved with a smile. He nodded a goodbye and I turned to head down the cliff.

* * *

Itachi quietly stared at the setting sun, solemnly contemplating his own thoughts.

"Hokage-sama said you were sent to get me, though I see you'd rather keep Mutsuko-chan company." An amused voice spoke from behind him.

"I sensed you nearby." He shrugged lightly. "I suppose you haven't gone to see the Hokage yet?"

"Nope. I thought I'd see what you were up to first." Shisui sat down next to the younger Uchiha. "So what were you two talking about?" Itachi glanced at him incredulously.

"As if you weren't eavesdropping." He scoffed. Shisui laughed at the accusation, raising his hands in mock defeat.

"Guilty as charged." They both chuckled before turning towards the flaming sky.

"So what is it?" Itachi could tell that his friend wanted to say something.

Shisui sighed, his smile fading into a troubled frown.

"She's homesick, huh?" He grimaced heavy-heartedly. "It's not right for these leaders to be using her as a trading card." He sighed once again.

"I agree. But this conflict originated with her, only her being here can solve it." Itachi reminded.

"It's not as if she had any control over it. I feel sorry for her, not even her own leader would tell her the truth." He shook his head sorrowfully.

"You've only known the girl for a few months, why do you care so much?" Shisui frowned at this.

"Tch, don't act like you don't care for her too. I've only ever seen you act like this towards Sasuke and Izumi." He paused suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head. "Speaking of Izumi, I think something odd is going on with her." His frown deepened.

"Odd?" Itachi questioned.

"She seems to have something against Mutsuko-chan. She's harassed her multiple times now, all with meaningless accusations." The first time, he thought perhaps Izumi was just having a bad day. He remembered how odd he'd found it when he heard about the girls' second confrontation. By the time the third conflict arose he was thoroughly mystified.

 _Shisui was on his way to meet Mutsuko after one of her classes. He spotted her and was about to call out when he noticed that another brunette was quickly closing in on her. Even from his position, he could see the hatred on the newcomer's face. The clan symbol on the girl's back confirmed his suspicion: Izumi._

 _He decided to stay back and watch what would happen. He knew Mutsuko was in no real danger, after all they were in full view of dozens of people._

 _They were speaking now, their words just out of earshot. Izumi's back faced him yet he could tell she was angry, more so than he had ever seen her before. Mutsuko, on the other hand, looked more irritated than anything else._

 _The Uchiha seemed to be doing most of the talking as Mutsuko's hard expression hardly changed. By the time five minutes had passed, he was sure that both girls were one insult away from strangling each other, and so he was beyond relief when Izumi turned and stalked away._

He had yet to bring up anything about that confrontation.

"Are you sure? That doesn't sound like Izumi." Itachi questioned.

"I've seen it with my own eyes. I don't know what she's thinking but this isn't a situation that can be handled carelessly. She may not fully know how important this deal is, but I cannot allow her behavior to continue. I came here to ask you to talk to her, she must not cause any further problems for us."

Itachi hesitated, trying to process the seemingly impossible information he'd just been told. Izumi? It couldn't be. She was anything but confrontational. There's no way.

"I will try to find out what's going on." He agreed. Regardless, he trusted Shisui more than he trusted his own doubts.

"Alright." The older Uchiha nodded, pushing himself off the ground. "I better report to Hokage-sama before he sends someone else to catch me. I'm off!" He gave him a pat on the back before flickering away.

* * *

Mutsuko tapped the desk with the end of her pen, staring distastefully at the paper in front of her. She had yet to reply to Mifune's latest letter and it certainly wasn't because she'd forgotten, it was because she couldn't come up with anything to say. Clearly, her brain was on permanent strike.

She sighed loudly and stood from her chair, resolving to deal with it later. As for right now, she would go train for a bit. No good being inside all day, right?

It didn't take long for Mutsuko to arrive at the familiar pond, though much to her surprise, someone had beaten her there.

Right by the edge of the water was a tall figure dressed in dark clothing. She wasn't close enough to make out exactly who it was. They stood facing the pond and seemed to be slightly hunched over, breathing heavily. The person brought their hands together and took a deep breath before spitting out a stream of fire that seemed to set the water ablaze.

Mutsuko watched in silent awe. It was a spectacular sight, one that very much reminded her of her spar with Itachi a few weeks ago, after which he had stunned her with the same jutsu. She wondered if this was another Uchiha.

However, before she could consider any further, the figure froze for just a second before suddenly disappearing.

Mutsuko tentatively approached the spot where the stranger stood, glancing around in confusion. Why did they leave so quickly? Perhaps they sensed her nearby? Admittedly, she wasn't very good at hiding her chakra, plus she'd been told that it was a very recognizable signature. Maybe they just didn't want her to see their training.

She sighed in disappointment. Usually, she wouldn't have given it too much thought but lately the public distrust towards her has become stronger. Shinobi and civilian alike were increasingly opposed to both her presence in the city and Konoha's alliance with the Land of Iron. Of course, it didn't help that the news of samurai conflicts with their shinobi neighbors spread like a wildfire that refused to burn out.

She had suddenly lost interest in training.

Solemnly starting back towards her apartment, her mind began to wander to her friends back home. Were they well? Had they finished their apprenticeships? How much stronger have they gotten? Before she left, she had promised to spar with them when she got back, just to see how much they had improved, but now she no longer felt able to keep that promise. She had been spending all her time and energy trying to get a grip on ninjutsu that her other skills had deteriorated, yet it was all to no avail. She certainly wasn't looking forward to hearing what Mifune had to say about it.

"Ow!" Mutsuko suddenly found herself knocked to the ground with a sore forehead. She heard a light _thump_ next to her.

"Look what you did, Pervy Sage!" A shout sounded from above her. She looked up to see a familiar blonde jumping down from the roof of a building. "Oh, Mutsuko-chan! I didn't recognize you for a second there!" He greeted energetically.

"Ah, I'm so sorry about that!" A tall man with spikey white hair landed next to him. "Naruto must have accidentally thrown my notebook at you. Please forgive him!"

"What?! I threw it? You were the one that lost your grip on it, old man!" Naruto retorted.

"Because you were trying to steal it!"

"You promised to help me train today!"

"I was busy gathering information for my new book!"

Mutsuko looked down at the notebook that had fallen to her left: **Research Notes**. She pushed herself up and dusted off her shirt.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." She smiled, handing the book back to the man.

"Oh, Mutsuko-chan! This is Jiraya-sensei. Pervy sage, this is Mutsuko-chan, she's my friend!" He introduced.

"Nice to meet you!" Jiraya grinned with an outstretched thumbs-up.

"Nice to meet you too, Jiraya-san." Mutsuko nodded respectfully. "Naruto, sorry but I've got to run. See you around!" She waved before hastily dashing down the street.

"Your friend's in a hurry, isn't she?" Jiraya hummed.

"Nah, she just doesn't like you."

"It was an accident!"


	10. Snowy Days

"Tsunade-sama," Mutsuko entered the woman's office, "You called?" The Sanin looked up from her paperwork and gestured for the girl to take a seat.

"I'm always surprised at how quickly you get here. You wouldn't believe how many kids your age drag their feet whenever they're called here." Tsunade cleared her throat. "Anyways, I've noticed your letters to General Mifune have not been sent in two months. Any reason why?" She asked as casually as possible.

"Nothing to write about." Mutsuko shrugged. Tsunade furrowed her brows and set down her pen.

"Well, regardless, we will need you to send letters regularly from now on. It lets your General know that you are doing well. Protocol, you see." She explained.

"My apologies, I will write him as soon as I can." The girl responded.

"Good, good. Well that's all, you can go now." Mutsuko bowed lightly before slipping out the door.

* * *

"Mutsuko-chaaaan!" A loud screech greeted her just as she stepped out of the large weapons shop she frequented. The girl looked towards the village gate where three familiar figures stood, one of whom was furiously waving at her.

It only took a fraction of a second for the blonde energy pill to appear in front of her.

"Mutsuko-chan! We're back from our missi- OW!" He covered his head and cowered away from his attacker. "Sakura-chan is so mean!"

"Sorry about him, you know how he can get." The pinkette grinned apologetically. "So how have you been these past few weeks?" She asked curiously.

"I've been fine, how was your mission?" Mutsuko asked, though her tone betrayed any façade of interest she might have had. Sakura, as usual, did not seem to notice.

"I'm exhausted! Where do I even start! I had to keep an eye on Naruto the whole time and Kakashi-sensei nearly got us lost too. We were so close to running out of food! I swear it never stops raining there, not to mention how hard it was to start a fire with damp branches!" She huffed in exasperation.

"It must have been a long trip, you should go unpack and take a rest." The older girl said.

"You're right, I can't wait to take a hot bath! I think I'm still frozen from all that rain!" She chuckled cheerfully. "Well, I guess we'll see you later, Mutsuko-chan!" Sakura waved as she started towards her house.

"Sakura-chan! Wait for me!" Naruto yelled as he scrambled to catch up.

Sasuke looked at his teammates, sighing tiredly before slowly turning to follow them.

Mutsuko watched the trio's retreating backs, laughing and bickering as they disappeared from sight. She silently stood a moment longer before starting in the opposite direction.

* * *

Mutsuko sat in front of her desk, locked in a staring contest with the unfolded letter she had yet to respond to.

What was she supposed to say? After living in Konoha for so long she simply had nothing new to write about and, as odd as it may seem, began to find herself unexcited to receive the letters. Mutsuko gripped her pen tightly before impatiently dropping it back onto the desk. She stood up and headed into the living room, quickly grabbing her weapons pouch before striding out of the house.

As the heavy door fell shut behind her, a slight _thump_ passed through the room, just enough to shake a layer of dust off the katana that rested on the wall.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Mutsuko didn't have to turn around to know who the voice belonged to. She hummed and flung another kunai at the wooden target, striking it right on the bullseye.

"You know, you've improved a lot since you got here." The masked anbu mused, eyeing the ring of targets that surrounded her, each with a kunai firmly embedded in its center. "I remember when you couldn't hit a mountain from a foot away." He chuckled gleefully. His laugh was the only one that sounded.

"What do you want." Mutsuko asked pointedly.

"Just checking in on you, making sure you haven't gotten yourself into any trouble." The man's cheerful tone quickly turned into a serious one upon seeing her hard expression. "Alright, alright. I'm here to deliver some news."

'I'm listening." She said halfheartedly, pulling a kunai out of one of the targets.

"As you know, it's been almost three years since you first came to Konoha. Both Lord Third and Lord Fifth have seen your dedicated training and agreed to let you return to the Land of Iron for a month."

Mutsuko stopped just as she reached to reclaim another kunai. She was silent.

The anbu was just about to speak up when the girl dislodged the weapon and slipped it back into her weapons pouch.

"When?" She asked, her expression unchanged.

"Tomorrow." He heard her click her tongue.

"And I assume you'll be following?"

"Nope." She looked up in surprise. "I've been assigned to another mission but someone else will be going with you." He explained.

"Do I know this person?" She furrowed her eyebrows in discontentment. She could have sworn the man was smiling behind that mask.

"You might." He shrugged innocently. Mutsuko narrowed her eyes.

"Well?" She stared impatiently.

"Uchiha Itachi."

* * *

The sun had just peaked out from behind the horizon when Mutsuko made it the gates of Konoha. She had a faded black cloak draped around her shoulders, under which she wore a black tank top and puffy white pants: well-fit for comfortable travel. She had her weapons pouch fully stocked and strapped to her left leg while her bag held a few sets of clothes and some food. A light sleeping bag was rolled up and tied to the top of the pack.

She didn't have to wait long before she spotted her assigned partner approaching. He carried a similar travel bag and nodded a greeting upon reaching her.

"Mutsuko-san."

The said girl only shot him a brief glance before taking off through the opened gates.

* * *

Itachi was puzzled.

Mutsuko had been silent the entire time.

The sun was now on the other side of the sky and she has yet to utter a single word.

It wasn't as if he had expected her to be overwhelmingly talkative, after all, the last time they had spoken was nearly two months ago and even that was just a passing 'hello,' but he certainly didn't expect her to be quite this reserved. He considered bringing it up but thought better of it. Now probably wasn't the best time, anyways

Though fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the silence didn't last long.

A faint rustling sound caught his attention.

Mutsuko glanced over to him, seemingly having noticed it as well. He nodded and motioned for her to keep moving.

The two continued through the forest, listening intently for anything out of place.

Just as they began to believe the noise from earlier was just an animal, a sharp whizzing sound cut through the air. Reflexively, Itachi spun around and caught the object flying at him. He glanced down: a shuriken.

Mutsuko landed a distance behind Itachi, scanning the surrounding trees for the source of the weapon.

All at once, a dozen shuriken flew at her. She leapt up and swiped one from midair, launching it back at its concealed owner. A pained grunt told her she had hit her target. Without delay, another dozen weapons flew out of the trees. She avoided them with a leap, looking up barely in time to see a figure coming right at her.

 _CLASH_

Mutsuko locked blades with her attacker, only catching a glimpse of bright green eyes before shoving him back with her kunai. The man landed a few feet away and wasted no time in attacking again. He charged and raised his saber high above his head. Mutsuko launched herself forward and blocked the sword as it swung down. She pulled out another kunai with her left hand and drove it into the man's chest. As he stumbled backwards, she wretched the sword from his hands and spun around just in time to block another man's attack.

A blow to her side sent her flying into a tree. Pain erupted from both her right shoulder and left ribcage. She let out a grunt before standing up and glaring at the two strangers in front of her. Even from a distance, she could clearly see their vibrant green eyes. They both took a single step forward, swords at the ready, and charged at her with full speed. She quickly pulled out eight kunai, holding them between her fingers, and flung them at the men.

The first two missed. The second two were deflected. The fifth one lodged in the taller man's foot. The sixth one lodged in his neck. The seventh one sliced the remaining man's cheek. The eight one was caught and sent flying back at her.

Mutsuko ducked under the kunai and ran towards the man, stolen saber in hand. She swung and dodged and jumped until she finally managed to trip him and drove the sword into his chest without hesitation.

She took a second to catch her breath and glanced over at Itachi. He was engaging with two more of the saber-wielding men just a few meters away.

A blur in her peripheral made her turn her head. She was met with a flash of silver and a sharp pain in the side of her head. Her hand flew up and she instinctively leapt backwards. She glared at the newcomer: green eyes and curved sword, just like the rest of them. She brought her hand away from her head and charged at him. He lowered his stance and readied his sword. Mutsuko jumped and swung the saber down, causing the two identical weapons to clash, sparks flying from the force. Using the man's sword as leverage, she boosted herself over her enemy, slapping something onto his back before landing on a nearby branch.

An explosion shook the ground.

Mutsuko glanced around, scanning her surroundings carefully, cautious of any more attackers that might emerge.

She looked over to Itachi who seemed to have finished off the last of the men. She jumped onto a branch to her far left before landing safely next to the Uchiha. She scanned the bodies that lay motionless on the ground. Only now was she able to get a good look at them. They were all dressed like shinobi though she could see no forehead protector to identify their origins. They shared the same dark brown hair and distinctive eyes.

"They were from the same clan." Itachi concluded.

"It seems so." Mutsuko agreed grimly.

Itachi was about to speak again when he noticed the large gash just above her left ear.

"You're bleeding." He frowned. Reaching into his weapons pouch, he pulled out a roll of bandages and a small cloth. "Sit down."

The girl did as she was told. She sat silently as the boy carefully cleaned around the wound. He set the cloth down and began wrapping the bandages around her head.

"Thanks." She mumbled, glancing down at the blood-soaked cloth.

Itachi hummed and tied off the bandage.

"How do you feel?" He asked. The gash wasn't deep but it was large, it wouldn't be going away any time soon.

"I'm alright. What about you?" She scanned him up and down but didn't see any injuries besides a few scratches here and there.

"I'm fine." He glanced up at the dimming sky. "We've covered enough ground for today, we should rest here for the night."

After finding a small clearing that was rather well-hidden, the two gathered firewood and changed out of their blood-stained clothes. They silently sat by the fire, each thinking over the possible meaning behind the attack from earlier.

Bandits?

Mercenaries?

Rouge ninja?

Mutsuko sighed. Whoever they were, whatever they wanted, she supposed it didn't really matter now.

"Sleep. I'll guard for a while."

She looked up at the Uchiha and their eyes met.

"I'm not tired." She said simply.

His gaze was sharp and calculating, as if it was looking right through her.

"You've been quiet." He stated. She raised an eyebrow.

"…ok?"

"Why?"

"Why?" She repeated questioningly. "I'm a quiet person. That's why." She stated as if it were obvious.

"You didn't use to be." He retorted.

"People change." She shrugged before leaning forward, resting her chin on her interlocked hands. "Now what are you _really_ trying to ask?"

There was a pause before he responded.

"You have something against me. What is it?"

"Now we're getting to the point." Mutsuko shifted to lay on her unfurled sleeping bag. She closed her eyes and scoffed. "Your little girlfriendhas been causing a bit of trouble for me, you see. She's got a bad habit of showing up wherever I am to harass me." The distaste was evident in her voice. "'You have no business with Lord Fugaku's family!', 'You are not to interact with Uchiha Itachi, he is an anbu officer whose safety cannot be compromised!', 'If I see any misbehavior around any shinobi, _especially_ any Uchihas, I will _ensure_ that you are removed from this village!'" She mimicked the high-pitched voice that she had been unfortunate enough to become familiar with. She sighed tiredly. "And since she's clearly fixated with you, I figured avoiding you would get her off my back. It's been working too, thank God. I haven't seen her for the past week and I intend to keep it that way."

A long silence fell between them.

"…girl…friend?" He said the word like it was a foreign tongue from a distant land, earning a raised eyebrow from the brunette.

"Is that the only part you heard?" She sighed. "But anyways, it doesn't really matter. You can just forget what I said." She stifled a yawn. "I'm going to sleep, wake me up when it's my turn to keep watch." She turned over onto her side, facing away from the light of the fire.

Itachi stared at her back, still unsure if he had heard her correctly.

' _Strange…'_

* * *

In the days following their encounter with mysterious shinobi, Mutsuko was noticeably more talkative. Certainly not as much as she had been a few years ago, but it seems she was no longer giving her partner the cold shoulder.

The two had passed through numerous forests, fields, swamps, and towns, all of which Mutsuko vaguely remembered from her journey in the opposite direction three years ago. They were nearing the Land of Iron, as evident by the steadily dropping temperatures.

By the time they came to the foot of a snowy mountain, two weeks had crawled by.

"We're close. Two more days, max." Mutsuko, now fully wrapped in a thick winter coat, scanned the blanketed range, trying to identify any recognizable landmarks.

The two began their trek up the side of the mountain, deciding that it would be quicker than going around. They had barely reached the peak when snow began falling like leaves in autumn. Having been born and raised with snow beneath her feet, Mutsuko never imagined she would forget just how cold it could get up there.

Unfortunately, the gentle specks of snow quickly grew into a full blizzard when they crossed into the valley below. Through it was only midday, the sun was nowhere to be found behind the wall of dark clouds that obscured the sky.

"We should take shelter until the storm settles!" Mutsuko had to yell to be heard over the violent winds lashing at them. She spotted a dark indent in one of the mountains up ahead. "A cave! Let's go!"

After dragging themselves through now ankle-deep snow, the two managed to reach the cave, much to their relief. They stepped into the damp, biting cave air and eagerly shook off the coating of white that clung to them.

"These usually die down in a few hours," Mutsuko sighed, staring into the dark recesses of the cave. "Though they're frequent. We might come across another one before we get to-"

"Wait." He cut her off. She turned and raised an eyebrow upon seeing him staring at the raging blizzard outside. "Someone's coming."

Mutsuko frowned and scanned the surrounding area for any unfamiliar chakra signatures. Her eyes narrowed.

"Two of them." She muttered. "Approaching."

"They don't seem like shinobi." The Uchiha observed, receiving a hum of agreement.

"Kazu-nii! I found a cave! Get over here!" A short blonde girl stumbled into the cave, waving to someone outside. A moment later, a very similar looking boy came dashing in after her.

"Geez! Didn't dad say there wasn't going to be a blizzard for-" He froze, his hand immediately flying to the sword at his hip. "Who are you?" He demanded, glaring at the two figures standing inside the cave. The blonde girl wearily took a step back before racing to hide behind him.

Mutsuko eyed the pair carefully, or rather, she eyed the sword carefully.

"You've finished your apprenticeship, Hidekazu." She observed, an amused smile on her face. The boy visibly tensed.

"Who are you?" He repeated, slowly taking a step forward. His eyes suddenly narrowed before growing to the size of saucers. "…Shiromori-san?"

The blonde girl poked her head out from behind him, fear now replaced with surprise.

"Shiromori?" A wide grin spread across her lips. In a flash, she was in front of the brunette. "Mutsuko-chan! What're you doing here? Are you coming back to the village? How come no one told us you were coming?" She grabbed the taller girl's hands, excitement radiating off her.

"Calm down, Aiki. I'm only here to visit." Mutsuko smiled uncomfortably, pulling her hands away before turning to the other blonde. "What are you two doing outside the village?" She questioned. The boy shifted his gaze nervously.

"Well… I don't think I can tell you that…" The brunette raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Mutsuko-chan, who's that?" Aiki asked quietly, pointing to the raven-haired boy standing just a few feet further into the cave.

"That's Uchiha Itachi." She motioned for him to come forward. "Itachi-kun, this is Yasui Aiki and Yasui Hidekazu. They're from my hometown." She introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Uchiha-san." Aiki smiled, receiving only a nod from the silent shinobi. She turned her attention back to the girl in front of her and beamed gleefully. "Wow! Mutsuko-chan has gotten so pretty!"

"Ah, thanks, Aiki." The brunette smiled awkwardly. "How have you been these past few years?"

"I've been great! Things have been good with the village too, though General Mifune has been grumpier since you left." She pouted. "I'm sure everyone will be excited to see you! Let me show you around town some time, ok?"

"That would be nice, I'll look forward to it." Mutsuko nodded. She glanced at the opening of the cave and, much to her delight, the snow was falling gently once again. "Looks like the storm is over, we should get going before the next one comes."

Aiki and Hidekazu both turned towards the mouth of the cave.

"Aww, I wanted to catch up with you some more… I know! I'll come visit when we get back to the village! Then you can tell me all about Konohagakure!" Mutsuko nodded and offered a slight grin.

Stepping out into the frigid wind and dancing snow, their pairs waved a goodbye before splitting off in opposite directions.

"Friends of yours?" Itachi asked once they were out of earshot.

"Kind of. I was sparring partners with Hidekazu, Aiki goes wherever her brother goes." Mutsuko explained, wincing at the thought of the uncomfortably friendly girl. "I hope they take their time in coming back." Itachi chuckled at this, shaking his head lightly.

* * *

"Now I remember how much I hated this path." Mutsuko had to hold onto a large boulder to keep her balance. They were making their way up an impossibly steep mountain, taking a winding trail that the girl had used many times before as it was the safest way to pass through the dangerous slopes.

She let out a tired sigh when they finally made it to the peak where the ground leveled out.

"I suppose this mountain keeps most intruders out." Itachi mused, staring down at the nearly vertical drop.

"Almost kept me out a few times too." Mutsuko mumbled. She turned to look down the other side of the height, eyes landing on a large city sitting in the valley between three peaks.

As the pair approached the large, snow-covered gates, they could see a number of samurai standing guard, armor and all.

"Stop." One of the men commanded. Glowing red eyes stared down at the two menacingly. "State your name and purpose."

"Shiromori Mutsuko. General Mifune should be expecting me." She stated.

"You're right." The loud creak of the gates opening drew everyone's attention. Just behind the city wall stood a stern looking man with long graying hair and bandages wrapped around his head. Behind him stood two taller men, each with thick scarves covering their mouths.

The old man took a step forward, a smile spreading across his aged face.

"Welcome home."

* * *

 **Look everyone! I'm alive!**

 **Thank you to everyone who has reminded me about updating this story, I do read all the PMs I get so feel free to continue messaging me with any thoughts or concerns.**

 **I hope you've enjoyed this long overdue chapter, please leave a review telling me what you thought about it, and I'll see you next time!**


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